


all i want is you

by smtowndream



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Johnyu? Maybe? I don’t know! Let’s see ~, Lee Taeyong Needs a Hug, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Taeyong just needs a fake date and PERHAPS a certain tall and dimpled man is there to help
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2019-09-14 14:48:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16914903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smtowndream/pseuds/smtowndream
Summary: Nobody would be sending a response to his desperate ad tonight, that was for sure. Taeyong truly did believe that, until a faint ding left the speakers of the laptop, causing him to freeze.And there it was—the sole message in Taeyong’s inbox, stationary as he did not dare open it. The fluorescent red [2] floated just above the tiny envelope, flashing itself mockingly. He was in a state of disbelief, not at all convinced that anyone genuinely answered his fake date advertisement. Completely certain that this had to be a joke, Taeyong took a giant leap of faith and clicked the message.It wasn’t a joke at all.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I SWEAR. This is the last series I'll be starting until I finished my Nohyuck and my Hyuckhei fics (check those out, if you like those ships! I'll be updating those soon.) But I really really wanted to do a cute, quick Christmas series, so here this is. My aim is to update this every Saturday in December until Christmas. I'd like to wrap this up in three chapters, but we'll see if I can. Anyway, pleaaase enjoy my cute Jaeyong Christmas fic!! Also, I was so excited to post, I didn't really proofread, so I might do that tomorrow :D
> 
>  
> 
> **UPDATE 08/26/19: No longer a Christmas themed fic, but everything else is the same!**

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taeyong waits a few beats before bounding into the café. He stands by the entrance, surveying the café thoroughly. It was then that he realized he was unsure of who exactly he was supposed to be meeting with. He hadn’t gotten a name, an appearance, or even a gender. With the variety of students seated in the room, sipping on iced mochas or steaming hot Americanos, his date really could be just about anyone. 
> 
> His shoulders deflate. Great, what was he supposed to do now? The obvious answer would be to try and email the mystery date, but there was a slim chance he’d get an email back at such short notice. He could see it now, Taeyong cooped up in his dorm under some blankets, eating the sole tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream hours later when he’d receive the reply— _sorry, I totally didn’t see this email until right now, but best of luck finding a date!_
> 
> There was only one option. It’d be the most inconvenient way of going about this, and if his date wasn’t present, Taeyong would feel an immense amount of embarrassment.

**[9:34 PM] from Taeyong:** GUYS I’M IN TROUBLE  
**[9:34 PM] from Taeyong:** I JUST DID . THE MOST DUMB THING EVER

 **[9:35 PM] from Yuta:** opposed to all the other dumb things you USUALLY do?

 **[9:35 PM] from Johnny** : yuta don’t be MEAN  
**[9:35 PM] from Johnny:** it’s not taeyong’s fault he can’t function like a normal human being :/

 **[9:36 PM] from Taeyong:** JERKS I HATE BOTH OF YOU.  
**[9:36 PM] from Taeyong:** I TEXTED YOU FOR ADVICE AND.. THIS IS WHAT I GET?

 **[9:36 PM] from Yuta:** so many things wrong with that sentence, for starters: why would you text US for advice.

 **[9:37 PM] from Johnny:** just come down to our dorm, we’re not doing anything, explain to us what happened in person. We’ll always help you, yong

 **[9:37 PM] from Yuta:** yeah what he said <3

Taeyong takes the offer without a second’s hesitation, moving with incredible speed across the college dorm hallway. On the way, he passes the laundry room, where students were gathered in a circle and staring at the washer in defeat. He bolts past the common area, where someone was absolutely burning their late night snack. This was all apart of college life, adapting to a new setting and trying to grow and learn from the small lessons in life away from family. On any other given day, Taeyong would have said he was having a great week. It was right before break and his grades were stellar, he was maintaining a large and great circle of friends, and knew how to work the washer, drier, and the oddly temperamental oven in the rec room. So at this point, he was five in five.

But, with barely over three weeks until he was to return home for break, Taeyong had made a tiny error. Inconsequential! He’d absolutely find a way to fix it.

He thinks.

“Okay, so this wasn’t really my fault.” With his hands held up by his chest defensively, Taeyong is explaining even before he fully steps into Yuta and Johnny’s dorm.

As if summoned by the phrase, Yuta appears suddenly from the bathroom. His skin appeared luminous with the glow from his moisturizer, and his damp hair was wrapped up fancily in an off white towel. Taeyong must have interrupted the nightly routine. Usually, he would apologize, but he was too anxious to do so now. “By you saying that, I definitely know that it’s your fault.”

Johnny disregards Yuta's pass, turning around in his desk chair to give his total and undivided attention to Taeyong. “What’d you do, Yong?” 

“So my mom called me a few minutes ago to confirm that I’d be coming home. I mean, obviously I’d be going back, I wasn’t going to stay here, right? So she’s like, ‘ _well we set up your old room with new sheets for you_ ’ and I was grateful, because they didn’t have to to do that, you know? Like I would’ve slept on the couch, or the floor, or the bench outside on the patio,” Taeyong is rambling, a habit he picked up and exhibits whenever he’s particularly nervous regarding something. “And I was gonna say thank you until my mom was like ‘ _we left your old toys and stuff out,_ _it’s not like you’re going to be bringing home anyone anyway_ ’.”

“Shots fired, Mrs. Lee!” Yuta doesn’t hide the laugh that passes his lips. Fascinated by this story, he makes himself comfortable in one of the many bean bags that decorated the room and snags a bag of popcorn off Johnny’s nightstand. “At this point, the board stands with Mrs. Lee: 1, Taeyongie: 0.”

Taeyong nods, eyes wide. “Right? Okay, so anyway, I was like ‘ _what do you mean by that_?’ and she said something about me never bringing anyone home ever, so it’s not like this time would be any different. She said her and my sister were praying for a miracle, that maybe I’d bring a plus one home. Then she sighed, and sounded really sad.”

Johnny waits for his friend's silly mistake. “Okay? So what did you do?”

Taeyong bites the tip of his finger, eyes darting around the dorm room anxiously. “I told her to take the toys out of my room because I’d be bringing home my s _ignificant other_ for break. She was so overjoyed that she practically hung up the phone, screaming that I was finally dating someone.”

“Unless you haven’t been telling us something..” Johnny’s sentence trails off as he eyes the fidgeting Lee Taeyong. “You’re not dating anyone Yong, what were you thinking telling her you were?”

“I know, I know!” Taeyong exclaims, covering the entirety of his hands with his sweaty palms. He wasn’t sure why he’d done it either, all he knew was that it had been a choice made in the heat of the moment. It was also one that would be extremely hard to rescind without disappointing his family. By now, he wouldn’t have been surprised if his mother had dialed the numbers of just about every member of the Lee clan to proclaim that Lee Taeyong was finally dating someone serious enough to bring home. She probably called all her bridge playing salon friends to hurl it in their faces that her smart, talented, and infamously handsome son is dating someone. Knowing that, how could he repeal what he said without massively embarrassing himself, and perhaps his family? “I’m not sure what to do. I have about a week to find someone. I’ll even pay them, I’m that desperate!”

Yuta snorts, chewing obnoxiously on his popcorn at Taeyong’s unfortunate wording. “That’s something you _do not_ hear everyday.”

“Yuta, this is serious!” Taeyong _sobs_. “What do I do?”

“Okay, sorry, sorry,” Yuta wipes the crumbs off his gray sweats, sitting up straighter to ponder the situation earnestly.

Both Yuta and Johnny exchanged glances, neither of them sure what exactly to say to remedy their friend’s increasing nerves. Knowing Taeyong, if he didn’t find a solution within the next hour, he’d collapse of stress and suddenly there’d be more on his plate than explaining a tiny white lie. “Maybe.. A dating app?”

“No, Taeyong isn’t meant for stuff like that.” Johnny shoots down the idea.

Yuta moves on to his next suggestion. “What if you hire one of the drama kids to fake date you for a week? Give them money, or something like that, and tell them it’s like an acting role. It benefits them since they get paid _and_ get some real life experience.”

Taeyong and Johnny both seem to consider Yuta’s idea. Johnny is the first to make a comment. “I hate to say it, but you know that’s not that bad of an idea? Except I think you shouldn’t limit it to just drama kids, maybe open it to the general public? So it’s a wider audience.”

Yuta claps, feeling victorious that the two were in agreement with his idea. “Yes! We can make you a temporary email, print some flyers, then pin them all around the school. There’s a bunch of starving, in need students who would probably jump at the idea to pretend to date a super handsome boy like Taeyong. Hell, if he wasn’t one of my best friends, I’d apply seriously.” 

“Wait, Johnny, you have your laptop out. Open up a blank document.” Yuta points authoritatively at the laptop that was balanced on Johnny’s lap. Following his orders, Johnny’s fingers go to work as both Taeyong and Yuta crowd around him. The document is completely empty, a blank canvas to create an appealing ad to sell Lee Taeyong to the college community. For this to work, this description has to be absolutely perfect, and the three boys contemplate what exactly to write.

Utvis not as easy as one would think, and they spend about an hour or two binging on snacks out of various bags strewn across the dorm and typing prospective ad ideas. It nears midnight when they take a step back from the laptop to admire their handiwork, the finished product that touts that a fine, anonymous specimen of men, in this case, Lee Taeyong, was looking to hire a mock companion for the weekend. In bold, at the bottom of the paper, reads: **SERIOUS APPLICANTS ONLY**. They added a temporary form of contact in the middle of the page, an coined email that Yuta had saved while Johnny was typing the paragraph up, _ineedadate@naver.com_.

Tired, and not in the mood to head over to the library in the night’s chill breeze, the three collapse just by the 1 AM mark with Johnny getting ready to go to his bed, while Taeyong was sprawled with Yuta on his bed. While shutting down his laptop, Johnny mentioned that they could go tomorrow to print out the ads and place them around the campus in hopes that at least one student would take it seriously enough to apply genuinely. Taeyong agreed, just really, really hoping someone would save him from the messy ordeal he’d gotten himself into. It was quiet as the three settled under blankets and nestled their sides into the pillows.

Just before they had all fell to sleep's captor, Yuta sleepily murmurs. “Mrs Lee: 2, Taeyong: -0.”

* * *

It had been a week since the three had hung the ads around the campus, and without any prospective dates, Taeyong was confined to his dorm. With email open in a minimized tab and his notes in another, he’s utterly focused on studying.

Johnny, Yuta, and a few of his other friends asked if Taeyong would be in the mood to go out tonight, but keeping the faith that hopefully he’d get a reply to the ad he said he’d stay in. So far that is showing to be a pretty disappointing choice, with his inbox seemingly pretty lackluster.

Taeyong is somewhat beginning to come to the determination that he probably was going to be going home with no date. Despite it being entirely too early to consider sleep, Taeyong was just about ready for his head to hit the pillow and retire prematurely. He is in the process of tantalizing dragging his mouse to click the tiny ‘x’ on the tabs, until a faint bell-like noise left the speakers of the laptop.

And there it was—the sole message in Taeyong’s inbox, stationary as he did not dare open it. The fluorescent red **[2]** floated just above the tiny envelope, flashing itself mockingly. He was in a state of disbelief, not at all convinced that anyone genuinely answered his fake date advertisement. Completely certain that this had to be a joke, Taeyong took a giant leap of faith and clicked the message.

It wasn’t a joke _at all_.

Rather Taeyong had received a two paragraph message. Stunned, he scrolls and scans over the words carefully:

Dear _I-Need-A-Date_ ,

You’re in luck! I saw this ad on my way back from a midnight study session. I usually don’t stop to read anything on the pin-board, but that night I felt especially curious. Not sure if this is a serious proposal, but my family is going to be away for the break, so I’m absolutely free for the holidays. If you really need a fake date, send me an email back and we can plan to meet in person to see if I’m up to your standards. Let me know by next week!

Sincerely,

_Your Humble Solution_

Before Taeyong knew it, his fingers found the keyboard and was typing a reply back quicker than his mind could really process the situation as a whole.

Dear _My Humble Solution_ ,

My proposal was absolutely serious. I got myself into a lie by telling my parents I had a significant other to bring home. I obviously don’t, and I feel bad letting my family down. This is a really big deal, so if you’re not going to be into seriously faking this with me.. This isn’t volunteer work either, I’d be paying you for your time. If you’re still interested, I’d be down for meeting in person.

Sincerely,

_I-Need-A-Date_

Taeyong sent the email, reclining in his desk chair as he finished. His weary eyes aimlessly glanced at the tiny calendar pressed up against his wall. In his choice color of lime green, dozens of events and reminders were scribbled just under the days of the month. Dance practices, important exams and presentations, get-togethers with friends. Nothing written made his chest feel as hollow as the cutely drawn house icon over the week of break, signifying his brief return to his family.

His mom had been ecstatic over the phone when the lie of having a boyfriend slipped past Taeyong’s lips. Her rushed, slurred words signified her excitement. Despite confessions being flung at Taeyong left in right, in both high school and college, he’d never been one to date. There wasn’t anything wrong with dating, it was just that he never really had the time nor the effort to put into a relationship. But hearing his mother sound so happy at the thought of Taeyong infatuated with someone just enough to bring them home for the holidays.. How could he backtrack and say that he positively, a hundred and one percent did not have a boyfriend at all.

A little quiet on the relationship side? .. _Admittedly_ , yes. But was Lee Taeyong a bad son? _Absolutely not_.

Taeyong was surprised when his inbox chimed again.

Dear _I-Need-A-Date_

I’m serious, super serious about doing this. You posted this outside the library, so I’m assuming you go to this university. Meet me at the school café tomorrow. The one right next to the library, any time you want after 2 PM until maybe.. 7? I’ll be there. I’ll be waiting!

Sincerely,

_Your Humble Solution_

Taeyong writes back quickly saying that he’d meet them as soon as he got out of his 1:00 dance class. No other emails came after, not that Taeyong would expect any now that the clock struck 2 AM. Humming a faint tune, he pushed himself off the bed to plug in his computer as he was getting ready to literally sign off for the night. He already put his pajamas on and washed on face prior to receiving the email from his potential fake date, so he tucks himself in and shuts his eyes.

Just before he drifts to sleep, he mind wanders to thoughts all about the person who replied to his email. With his luck Taeyong would find them attractive and kind, so faking would hurt just a little less.

* * *

Feeling good, he slides into his usual 9 AM lecture seat, greeted by a smiling Yuta and a studious looking Johnny. After the three mutually greeted each other, Taeyong turned towards his friends. “You guys would never believe what happened last night!”

“I'm never going out the night before an exam ever again. We got back to the dorm super early, and I only got an hour or two or sleep before my alarm went off,” whined Johnny, spinning around in his chair as he inserted himself in the conversation. He pushes his textbook aside. “I need a pick me up, so tell me what was so unbelievable.”

For effect, Taeyong pauses before leaning in to his friends. “Somebody sent a reply to my advertisement for the fake date.”

Yuta’s arms raise in victory, a cry passing his lips. He’d been the one to suggest that Taeyong do this, and Yuta must’ve been glad to see his idea come into fruition. “I knew this would work! Everyone say thank you to Nakamoto Yuta, inventor of great thoughts.”

Both Johnny and Taeyong ignore Yuta’s request for credit, rolling their eyes in tandem before switching topics slightly. “So have you met them yet, Yong?” asks Johnny, sipping his coffee from his large to-go mug. He always had some sort of snack or beverage for class, usually having the spare time to whip up some delicious drink as he was usually up early on the days he didn't spend the night out before. 

“No, I have a meeting with them after dance at 1,” says Taeyong with half a bite of croissant in his mouth, wanting to savor his breakfast before he’d be typing away at lecture notes. “We’re meeting at the café.”

“What a classic first date,” remarks Yuta, ruffling the strands of hair that weren’t covered by Taeyong’s beanie. “Our Yongie is going on a date, this is a monumental moment! Johnny,” Yuta turns excitedly to the boy next to him. “Let’s get some cheap alcohol and chaperone Taeyong’s date.”

At that, Johnny winks and proceeds to shake his mug suggestively. “Already ahead of you.” Yuta cheers, and the two pass the mug back and forth with wide grins. 

Taeyong lets out a dry laugh, accompanied by a narrowing of his eyes. “Ha ha, _very funny_. I’ve been on a date before, this isn’t going to be anything different.”

“Um, this is _waaaay_ different.” Yuta insists, and some part of Taeyong knows his friend is right. “You’re going on a blind date with someone you might end up paying to fake date for the holidays. I’m not sure how many times you’ve done that, but this is definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity.” He’s grinning, now. “Hey, maybe you’ll fall in _love_. A Christmas love for our Yong.”

Underneath his breath, Taeyong mutters a low ‘ _shut up_ ’ in response to his friends. Just then their lecturer walked in, wasting no time to pull the day’s PowerPoint onto the screen and save Taeyong from the ensuing conversation.

Yuta and Johnny drop it for now, both boys turning to their own laptops. Just before Taeyong diverts his own attention to his previously typed up notes, a faint blush pops onto his cheeks. For someone who wasn’t quite fond of dating, this whole fake dating idea seemed to excite him. Maybe the no strings attached made it easier for him to slip into the situation.

As the professor begins his presentation, Taeyong shakes his mind of all thoughts that did not pertain to today’s lecture. He couldn’t be bothered with this now. Before hiring a fake boyfriend, before lying to his family, before everything—he had exams to ace.

* * *

It was minutes to 2:30, and Taeyong was incredibly tired. The choreography they had learned had worn him out, leaving him heaving on the freshly waxed wooden floor. With the big talent show coming up, every practice seemed to inch closer and closer to peak intensity. It was a big deal, this showcase that went down every January to ring in the new year. It was a joint show with a few other universities in the immediate area, and hundreds of people attended just to watch the pure talent of the next generation.

Taeyong’s dance team competes every year and with the new additions of (freshman) Huang Renjun, Lee Jeno, Lee Donghyuck, and Na Jaemin and (sophomore) Mark Lee, the group believe they’d be in position to take one of the top spots. Sure the prize wasn’t much, but it was the blood and sweat they poured into their routines that made all the applause and praise worth it every time.

Suddenly Taeyong isn’t alone to overthink all his movements and wonder if he needed to make any adjustments, because Mark Lee is taking a seat beside his hunched form. “Yong, I bought you some water.” Mark holds out one of his three bottles out to Taeyong, and the elder accepts it gratefully.

“You did great today, Mark. Your solo part with Donghyuck and Jeno is going to be killer,” Taeyong praises, meaning every single word he said. The year’s new recruits were almost better than Taeyong and Yuta were when they first started, always finding ways to improve and learn despite being so young. “This choreography is going to be one of our best if we can pull it off.”

They both take long swigs of the icy water, easing both their achy bodies and dry throats.

“That means a lot from you, Yong. Thank you, I’ll keep trying my best.” Mark is quiet, pensive for a minute.

As if the few beats of silence was his cue, Lee Donghyuck finds his way over to the two and adds yet another seated body to the floor. Donghyuck was chipper even after the  tiring practice, as per usual. “Hi Mark, hi Yong! Sorry to interrupt,” Mark and Taeyong exchange a quick glance, because _of course_ Donghyuck meant to interrupt. His boisterous, bubbly personality was just part of who the boy was, and the biggest reason to why the team loved him. Donghyuck notices the looks, coughs to clear the air, and continues with what he was saying. “Anyway. Mark said he’d walk me to my shift at the café, and I didn’t realize how close I’d be cutting it if I came to practice today.“

“The café in the cafeteria, or the café next to the library?”

Taeyong sits up as Mark hands his spare water bottle to Donghyuck. He pretends he didn’t notice the slight lingering of their hands during the exchange, but by the way Donghyuck answers, it was blatant that he was the tiniest bit flustered. “Uh. The one by the library?”

“Great! I’ll walk with you, I was actually on my way there.”

Mark does not seem the tiniest fazed by this, but by the way Donghyuck’s shoulders rise and fall, he could tell the boy was slightly disappointed. Taeyong did not take it to heart, knowing the real reason that Hyuck was upset was probably because getting Mark to agree to walk him to his shift must have involved an incredibly intelligent strategy. After all of that work, he probably wanted to spend time with his _crush_ in solitude.

Ah, to be young and in love during the Christmas season! 

Taeyong couldn’t relate.

But that didn’t mean he wanted to ruin what could eventually _blossom!_ “Actually, I totally forgot, I wanted to go to my dorm and change!”

Mark is doubtful, pointing at Taeyong's dance bag. “But you always leave a spare change of clothes in your bag?”

 _Damn it_ , Taeyong thinks. His fellow team members knew him all too well, since he always kept a fresh pair of clothes inside of his bag just in case he felt particularly gross after the hot, lengthy practice. “I forgot to?”

Yuta, conveniently only steps away, overhears this. He turns then, swinging his own dance bag just above his torso. “You need some clothes before you go on your date? You can borrow some of mine, we’re the same size.”

 _It was decided then that he absolutely hates Nakamoto Yuta_.

All the boys crowd around Taeyong, clamoring questions regarding the so called date Yuta mentioned. Taeyong, now the center of today’s entertainment, is embarrassed, his cheeks flushing a bright red while his members talk excitedly amongst themselves. Donghyuck and Mark ponder who the date is with, Ten goes on a tirade that Taeyong absolutely cannot wear dancing apparel to a date (to which Yuta heartily agrees), and Jeno, Jaemin, and Renjun discuss whether or not a café is cliche for a first date.

Johnny looks sympathetic, rubbing Taeyong’s shoulders as if it was some sort of an apology. He sighs. “Guys, it’s a blind date.” Taeyong announces, deciding to end the relentless speculation in that moment. “I’m not sure who it is. It could be a boy, girl, sophomore, junior, senior. I have no idea, but I’m on my way to the café to find out.”

Seemingly forgetting all about walking with Mark, Donghyuck seizes Taeyong’s arm and blitzes towards the door. The exit was so sudden that nobody else followed the two as they walked—no, _ran_ —out the dance studio doors and down the walkway towards the café. The crisp December wind brushed against Taeyong’s skin, making him shudder. He had forgotten to bring his jacket, and his dance bag, when making his grand escape with Donghyuck. To say the least, Taeyong felt especially awkward in his outfit choice of a oversized white t-shirt and baggy sweats.

“You look like a catch, Yongie!” compliments Donghyuck, as if Taeyong’s nerves regarding his current appearance were noticeable. “If they don’t appreciate you in your dance wear, they don’t deserve you! Dance is Taeyong, Taeyong is dance, they’re simultaneous. They’ll see you in your dance apparel eventually, the first date is never too soon!”

While Donghyuck wasn’t wrong per say, Taeyong was not sure that this was the reassurance he needed right now. Nevertheless, he manages a weak smile. “Thanks, Hyuck.” He peers up at the crystal blue sky, the afternoon clouds rolling in with the uttermost tranquility. As the clouds seem to loom closer and closer, a sudden blinding beam of sunshine explodes from just behind the clouds right when they make it to the front door of the cafè.

With no customers trying to enter in that moment, Donghyuck pulls both he and Taeyong aside. The boy’s significantly smaller hands reach up slightly to take a firm grip of the elder’s shoulder, making sure to look him directly in the eyes. “Taeyong, are you ready for your pre-date prep talk?”

“Hyuck, are you in any position to give a pre-date prep talk?”

“Very funny, hyung! Always finding the humor in the conversation, right?” His eyes were narrowed at Taeyong, a feigned smile upon his lips. Despite the comment, Donghyuck pushes through. “Yes, my three and a half dates have bestowed enough wisdom upon me to give you this talk—”

“—Three and a half?”

“Apparently Mark says him and I eating dinner at a ramen shop then me walking him to his house halfway across town after his real date got sick last minute isn’t a date. I say it’s a pseudo date. I paid for dinner, walked two miles to his house, and then two miles back to my own. I _deserve_ to add that to my tally, Mark Lee can’t tell me _anything_ ,” Donghyuck seems frustrated recounting this particular story, and it takes Taeyong all his might to not even laugh just a bit. “Let me finish my pep talk! Interrupt me one more time and I’ll find a way to embarrass you today. Don’t try me, Yong!”

 _That was a serious threat_. Taeyong nods vigorously, a bit scared of what his younger friend was capable of.

Donghyuck smiles sweetly, satisfied when he was given enough silence to speak. “You’re handsome, a great dancer, the best cook, and you have an amazing sense of humor. Your date is going to love you, and if they don’t, it genuinely is their loss. This date doesn’t define you. Say it with me,” Donghyuck waits until Taeyong hesitantly repeats the words with him. “This date doesn’t define you.”

“This date doesn’t define me.”

“A little louder!” 

“This date,” Taeyong is revitalized. “Doesn’t define me!”

Donghyuck is clapping widely, bounding on his heels excitedly. “Yes! That’s exactly what I mean! Go in and get them, Yong! Go charm your date!”

Feeling a new sense of determination arising within him, Taeyong breaks free of Hyuck’s grasp to march towards the café door. His hand smooths over the cool metal of the door handle, and he’s just about ready to open it when he turns to Donghyuck. “Hyuck, did you really mean all that stuff? That I’m handsome, and have a great sense of humor?”

Donghyuck nods, an unconvincing laugh passing his lips. He pats the older boy on the back gently, as if he was a miniature puppy, and wow he _really has some nerve_. “If that makes you feel better, sure, Yong..” He bumps Taeyong’s hand off of the door handle, opening the door all by himself. “ _Sure_.”

Dumbfounded, Taeyong waits a few beats before bounding into the café. He stands by the entrance, surveying the café thoroughly. It was then that he realized he was unsure of who exactly he was supposed to be meeting with. He hadn’t gotten a name, an appearance, or even a gender. With the variety of students seated in the room, sipping on iced mochas or steaming hot Americanos, his date really could be just about anyone.

His shoulders deflate. Great, _what was he supposed to do now_? The obvious answer would be to try and email the mystery date, but there was a slim chance he’d get an email back at such short notice. He could see it now, Taeyong cooped up in his dorm under some blankets, eating the entirety of a tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream hours later when he’d receive the reply— _sorry, I totally didn’t see this email until right now, but best of luck finding a date_!

There was only one option. It’d be the most inconvenient way of going about this, and if his date wasn’t present, Taeyong would feel an immense amount of embarrassment. He might even have to transfer afterwards, maybe move halfway across the country. Perhaps Jeju Island? That sounded nice, maybe he could rent a hotel room and live on the perfect beach for the rest of his days.

Right when Hyuck takes his spot behind the counter as the next shift’s main barista, Taeyong waltzes to the front of the line.

“Hi, Hyuck—”

He huffs, instantly snapping at Taeyong as if the elder boy had been pestering him for minutes. “I’m not giving you a discount.”

“I wasn’t going to ask for one?” A pause. “But the fact that you wouldn’t take the 30 cents off my total purchase kind of hurts.”

“The world hurts, Yong. What can I get for you?” Hyuck looks around with a mixture of genuine interest but a hint of suspicion. “And where’s your date?”

“Can I have a strawberry yogurt creme frappe?” He avoids the question regarding his date, hoping the boy wouldn’t prod any more. Just as Hyuck reaches for the marker to scribble Taeyong’s name on the surface of cup, the older boy held his wrist for a second. Hyuck looks up, confused. “Can you.. not write my name? Could you write something else?”

“Technically, I can write whatever you want. As long as it’s not offensive, I’m not trying to lose this job. What were you thinking?” To avoid going through the prospective embarrassment twice, Taeyong leans across the counter, whispering in the boy’s ear what he wanted him to write instead. Hyuck breaks out into a fit of giggles, shaking his head in amusement as he writes down what Taeyong asked before going to make the first drink in his shift. “For that, this is on the house. Not that I wasn’t already going to give it to you for free, but this.. _This_ is so embarrassing that I can’t not give you a free drink.”

Taeyong waits by the pick up counter as Donghyuck whips up the delicious Frappuccino order. Aftering pouring it into the cup, sealing it with a lid, he heads over to where Yong was standing patiently. He gives the boy the green light after Hyuck shot an unsure glance at Taeyong, one that almost said ‘ _do you really wanna do this_?’. Donghyuck’s lips part, and he disturbs the quiet flow of silence for a brief second. “I have a strawberry cream frappe for _I-Need-A-Date_?” The entirety of the café looks at the counter then. Some girls giggle, while others peek over in curiosity. It’s overkill as Hyuck repeats just a fraction of a decimal louder. “Strawberry creme for _I-Need-A-Date_?”

Taeyong peers around the café then, his eyes trying to decipher if any customer took notice of the name he used in the email. Nobody looks particularly struck by memory, mostly everyone seems intrigued to see just what loser was going to go pick up the drink. Face cherry red, he trudges to the counter where Hyuck had been staring at him expectantly. He pulls the hood over his head, accepting the drink gratefully with a muffled ‘ _thank you_ ’ before shuffling to the nearest empty table.

This was a failure. He didn’t find who he was looking for and now the whole campus Starbucks thinks he’s some lanky, desperate boy who goes around calling himself _I-Need-A-Date_.

He hears footsteps approaching, but doesn’t peek up until he hears the crumple of a bag being placed down right beside his head. Curiosity gets the best of him, and he moves his hoodie slightly to see just who it was. Unsurprisingly, it’s Donghyuck holding a chocolate chunk cookie. “This is also on the house. That was the most embarrassing thing I’ve seen as of late.” No reply from Yong, but more sympathetic pats from Hyuck. “Rest in peace, Yongie.”

His head digresses back into his hoodie, momentarily breaking pout to take a piece of the cookie into his mouth. He chews slowly as he considers his options. He could always get Yuta or Johnny, or any of the members aside from the younger ones, to act as his date for the holidays. Preferably one his familiar weren’t too familiar with, so perhaps one of the newer recruits, Jungwoo or Kun. Or he could go home sans a date, and fake some excuse about his significant other catching a cold, proceeding to them moving to a totally different continent, and only then breaking up with Taeyong. He could say he was absolutely blindsided, that he didn’t know a common cold was enough to inspire one to move to Italy and start a new life as a painter in Tuscany. Maybe then his family would pity feed him cake, and forget about the topic unless they wanted him to sulk all holiday.

More footsteps break the formation of his perfect plan, however this time he genuinely did not bother to look. It was probably Donghyuck again, with another free baked good to attempt to ease the pain. The sound stops, but the momentarily silence is soon followed by the scraping of a chair being pulled away from the table, then put back in place. Someone definitely sat down, he was sure.

A low sigh escapes his lips as he lifts his hoodie up. “Hyuck, you’re probably not supposed to be sitting with patrons while you’re working—”

The person sitting with him was not Donghyuck— far from the young barista, actually. Instead, there is an extremely good looking boy sitting across from him. He rubs his eyes, because this was way too good to be true and the embarrassment must have caused a beautiful delusion. But when he blinks, vision now adjusted, the boy is still occupying the seat.

Taeyong, right off the bat, could tell he was tall. Even with him being seated, his posture said it all. He was definitely taller than Taeyong, so a rough estimate was this mystery man must be at least 6’0. His perfectly smooth caramel hair fell just below his eyes, freshly blow dried and styled down for a more casual look. The smell of cherry blossom and honey radiated from his strands once his long fingers raked through his hair. Continuing to stare at a skeptical Taeyong seemed to provide this boy amusement, because he actually grins just enough to show two dimples on either side of his perfect smile.

He has dimples! Taeyong couldn’t believe it— _dimples_. That just made this boy so so much cuter.

“So,” Mystery boy starts. “You’re _I-Need-A-Date_ , huh?”

Still in shock from this wonderfully stunning man, a gaping Taeyong nods ever so slowly. “Yes.. And you are?”

The dimples pop out again for another special appearance, and Taeyong his cheeks flare up; this time though, it wasn’t due to embarrassment. “Me? I’m Jung Jaehyun, or maybe better known to you as,” And this extremely handsome man, Jaehyun, has the utter audacity to lean in boldly before his voice dropped to a whisper. “Your Humble Solution.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooh find out if jaehyun will help taeyong out or not ~~~~~~~ find out, next Saturday at 9:00 PM EST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaehyun continues. “So, tell me how we’re going to make this real. Or how you’d like for me to act? Do you want the princely type, the cute boy next door, the shy and mysterious? Maybe sexy-chic?” Jaehyun must have found this behavior comical, because he could barely keep the smile from dancing off his face. The words itself were enough to make Taeyong recoil, but instead he found himself amused by how confidently Jaehyun was speaking. “Let me know what flavor of Jung Jaehyun you’d like for the holidays, Lee Taeyong.”
> 
> “The one that will convince my family that we’ve been dating for like.. Four months?”
> 
> “Ah. I see,” Jaehyun nods knowingly, pretending to push invisible glasses up the bridge of his nose. “In such case you would need the most popular Jaehyun type, the family charmer. I’ve been told I am the grandmother and mother whisperer, they’re just incredibly drawn to me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAT A MESS, I SAID I'D UPDATE THE WEEK AFTER AND IT'S BEEN LITERALLY A MONTH. I am so sorry, I hope that this being after Christmas does not ruin everything :( If so, let me know in the comments, because I can always twinge the story a bit so that it's not during Christmas!! Anyway, I hope you guys like this suuuper overdue chapter. It's kind of a filler but uhhhhh here we go. Let me KNOW what everyone thinks.

“No way,” Taeyong cannot believe the situation that is unfolding before his eyes. This incredibly handsome man, who still chose to reveal himself even after the embarrassing incident that Yong caused only minutes ago, was the anonymous emailer? Either Taeyong truly lucked out for the first time in his life, or this was a very distasteful joke. “ _You’re_ the person who replied to my ad?”

Jaehyun gestures to himself grandly, before dropping his arms back to his side. “In the flesh. You know, I wasn't sure if you were going to actually show  today. I thought maybe you’d bail since I might’ve if I were in your situation.”  

“Seriously? And I thought you weren’t going to show up! I was thinking I was going to get stood up, and I’d have to lie to my parents again,” He leans in, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Between you and me, while I was waiting to see if _you’d_ show. I was already considering moving to Jeju.”  

“Jeju’s nice. I’d recommend moving there, they have fabulous resorts.” Jaehyun offers conversationally.

“But you’re here, so I don’t _have_ to come up with a Plan B.” Taeyong points out nervously, taking a lengthened sip from his iced drink. Not wanting to skirt around what the subject of this meeting was, he decides to get down to business. “So are you still interested in doing this, or are you here simply to cure your curiosity?”

“No, I came here for a reason. I’m definitely interested,” clarifies Jaehyun,  genuinely looking interested as he leans forward in his seat. “I kind of want to know what I got myself into here. Tell me your story, _uh_..” He trails off. “I don’t want to call you I-Need-A-Date for the rest of the night.”

Taeyong realizes in that instance that he had not introduced himself, and scrambles to do so once the thought dawned on him. His right hand shoots out from the sleeve of his hoodie, extending across the table towards Jaehyun. “I’m sorry! I totally forgot to introduce myself. I’m Lee Taeyong! You could call me Taeyong—or even Yong, I guess, if we’re going to be fake dating.”

“Taeyong,” Jaehyun smiles gently, and Taeyong loves the way it just falls right off the boy’s lips. He repeats the name a few times under his breath, aiming to get it _just right._  Taeyong’s given birth name sounds melodious spilling from Jaehyun, the pleasant lilt his voice contained an oddly soothing quality to it. Satisfied, the boy nods. “I like that, it’s nice. So, Yong, deal me what exactly I’m in for.”

Taeyong inhales sharply, beginning to recount the story of the crisis that had shaken him up over the last week. “Basically I don’t date much, and that upsets my family. When I was on the phone with them last week, my mom made a comment about me never having a relationship and.. I don’t know, something in me just wanted to prove them wrong. So I said I was dating someone.”

Jaehyun arches his eyebrow, his lips curled in the most sly manner. “Even though.. you _aren’t_ dating anyone?” Taeyong shakes his head. “I’d be said boyfriend then? What exactly am I being asked for, what kind of things should I do?”

To tell the truth, Taeyong would be lying if he said that he hadn’t dreamt of all the requests he’d make of his potential hired date. The thoughts frolicked joyfully around his mind every time he closed his eyes as he drifted into slumber. But as he sat here, directly across from the man who was willing to be his holiday date, Taeyong found himself unable to pour out his wishes into words. He suddenly felt embarrassed, his cheeks dusting a faint red—he didn’t want to tell Jaehyun about the hand holding, the lucrative PDA, or the sweet _sweet_ nothings whispered into his ear whenever they thought his family was staring.

“Well,” He fiddles with the plastic straw of the strawberry frappe that was melting just as fast as Taeyong’s confidence levels. “I’m.. not sure.”

It was as if Jaehyun could almost sense the blatant hesitance radiating from Taeyong, because he shook his head. “Well, Yong,” The name slips from Jaehyun’s mouth with the casual air that only came from being acquainted with one for several years. Curse Taeyong for advocating to the boy to call his nickname rather than his full name. “don’t feel embarrassed or anything. You’re hiring me to make this look real, which is a _great_ choice, by the way. I’ve done this before, believe it or not.”

“..Really?”

He hums in acknowledgement. “Not to _this_ extent, but some girls used to hire me for prom dates and sweet sixteens in high school. Sometimes they just wanted a handsome boy to accompany them to make the boyfriend they had just broken up with jealous, sometimes all they wanted was to not have anyone on their side on a really important night. I never judged nor caught feelings afterwards, so I like to think I was really good at it.”

Regarding this topic, Taeyong cannot say he is at all surprised. With his strikingly pretty boy getup, Jaehyun’s looks were definitely appealing. Taeyong could imagine how nervous students muse have gotten when speaking to the charmingly handsome Jaehyun, with his honey sweet voice and gentle gaze.

Boy, was it _hot_ in the café, or was Yong the one that was flustered at the thought? If it was the latter, was Taeyong in trouble, or was Taeyong in _T-R-O-U-B-L-E_?

Jaehyun continues. “So, tell me how we’re going to make this real—how you’d like for me to act? Do you want the princely type, the cute boy next door, the shy and mysterious? Maybe sexy-chic?” Jaehyun must have found this behavior comical, because he can barely keep the smile from dancing off his face. The words itself were usually enough to make Taeyong recoil, but instead he found himself amused by how confidently Jaehyun was speaking. “Let me know what flavor of Jung Jaehyun you’d like for the time being, Lee Taeyong.”

“The one that will convince my family that we’ve been dating for like four months?”

“Ah. I see,” Jaehyun nods knowingly, pretending to push invisible glasses up the bridge of his nose. “in such case you would need the most popular Jaehyun type, the _family charmer._ I’ve actually been told I am the grandmother whisperer. They’re just incredibly drawn to me.”

“Then that will work just fine! It’s only for the week. We’ll just go down to my family’s house, act like cutesy happy boyfriends, and then I’ll tell them a month or two later that we broke it off due to unforeseeable differences. Everyone will be happy, I’ll have my family off my back temporarily, and you’ll be a few hundred dollars richer. We all win.”

“ _Hundreds?”_ Jaehyun’s eyes went wide at this part of the statement, a gesture of grand repudiation. “Taeyong, I’m not sure why you think that I’d expect so much money from you. I do remember telling you that I wasn’t really going to do anything for break, so this is going to be better than me staying in some random hotel in Seoul for the duration of winter break.”

Taeyong notes two important things here:

  1. Jaehyun must be a little nutty if he is alright with being hired for a week and not expecting compensation
  2. Jaehyun must have $$$ if he can stay at a hotel for the weeks given off by school. Taeyong lives day to day on a student’s budget, so he barely dreams of lounging in a feathery white robe and drinking champagne as he observed the breathtaking Seoul skyline from the eighth floor of a five star hotel.



After less than an hour, Jaehyun can apparently read Taeyong like a book, and seeing the boy’s wheels churning in his head makes him add just a bit more to ease Taeyong. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m a drama major. So, I’ll take this experience as one to hone my craft and see if I’m a believable boyfriend. I’ll give you this ultimatum: by the end of the break, if you don’t think I was convincing, then I won’t take your money. That doesn’t feel fair to me.”

“And it doesn’t feel fair to me to make you come with me on break without even paying you something _._ How about a down deposit?”

“Of how much?”

“..Maybe a hundred dollars?”

That offer being far too much for his thoughts, Jaehyun narrows his eyes. He behind to barter with an already reluctant Taeyong. “How about _fifty_?”

He feels that Jaehyun is being too lenient with the situation as a whole, so Yong stands firm with his offer, lips pursed as he stares the taller boy down. Taeyong’s gaze is unwavering and admittedly, a little intimidating.

Enough so to make Jaehyun glance down at his drink, apparently finding the floral design on the paper cup extremely awe inspiring. “Fine. We’ll go with a hundred _but_ you have to let me take you out for dinner.” Taeyong glares suspiciously, and Jaehyun holds his hands up defensively as a bright laugh reverberates from his chest. “For scientific purposes only! I’d like to know more about you,” He coughs. “to be able to make this more believable, that’s all.”

“Of course, dinner for _science!_ Because eating together will help build our sense of relationship.” Taeyong finds himself being in total agreement with Jaehyun. And suddenly, the two are smiling at each other with the silliest looks on their faces. To any passerby, they would absolutely appear to be an infatuated couple in the honeymoon phase of the relationship. Taeyong plans his next proposition before carefully speaking said words. “How about I give you my number, and we plan when we’ll go out for dinner?”   

Jaehyun retrieves a perfectly kept napkin from the fold of his long coat, sliding it towards Taeyong with yet another dimpled smiled. “While I was waiting for you, I wrote my number on a spare napkin.”

Taeyong blinks down at the delicate slice of paper. His eyes glaze over the scribbled numbers and just under them Yong could make out a loopy signature of  Jaehyun’s name and a smiley face. “Then.. I’ll text you?”

Jaehyun showcases this beautifully blinding smile, and even if Taeyong couldn’t exactly unravel whether it was genuine or not, he found his stomach tying itself in tiny intricate knots. “It’s a _date.”_

* * *

Taeyong is elated. It‘s only a few days until break officially commenced and he was no longer scrabbling for a date to share the hell that could only be described as going home for the break. He and Jaehyun found themselves texting quite often and forging a fast friendship. They’d even set a date for their second date.

Which so happened to be _tonight_.

Johnny and Yuta are stationed in the middle of Taeyong’s dorm, intently helping him prepare for the impending night. Yuta is styling his hair with a comb and a blow dryer, while Johnny is ironing out his jacket.

See, a first date usually does not require so much effort on Taeyong’s part. He’d usually comb his hair, spray on some nice cologne, and wear a simple outfit. With striking visuals, initially his dates would be absolutely taken by him at first sight and conversation would hit off from there. His looks were usually the only thing he needed to bring with him for a first date to go decently. Aside from his phone, in case he needed to call a ride.

But this date was _different._ Jaehyun had texted him a few days prior, informing Taeyong that he’d made reservations for the two that Saturday night at The Gaon. All he’d told him was to dress nice—which without saying meant absolutely no jeans nor hoodies—and to be ready outside the dorms at exactly 7:30 sharp.

Looking up the restaurant Jaehyun informed him they’d be eating at showed Taeyong that it was one of the most expensive in the area. Hell, it even had three _Michelin Stars._

“Just how rich do you think this guy is,” Yuta asks over the obnoxious humming of the blow dryer. “I mean I’ve heard The Gaon has really good food, but I wouldn’t think it’d be a first date restaurant, though.”

“Unless you’re rich.” Johnny points out making the others laugh in agreement. “I’m betting that he’s either a silver spoon rich boy or he’s secretly a broke college student with lots of piggy-bank money to try to impress you.”

Taeyong snorts, taking a long swig from the water bottle he’d been balancing between his thighs. “Shouldn’t I be the one to impress him? I’m the one trying to hire him to spend a week with my family and I. Which, did I mention, he offered to do _for free_?”

“Oh! That _screams_ silver spoon! No person in their right mind would do this for free, _unless_ they have money!” Yuta cackles from behind Taeyong, shaking his head vigorously. “Him possibly being rich shouldn’t sway you but try to hold on to him if you can, Yongie. Not many people would be willing to do this for free. And if he’s as handsome as you say, then this kind of sounds like a pretty sweet deal for you.”

Yuta’s right. It was a Godsent that Jaehyun was willing and moreso _wanted_ to help him out andfree of charge. Taeyong is convinced that this is a miracle, truly.

“I kind of want you guys to see him, he’s so good looking," Taeyong wonders how to explain the man that was Jung Jaehyun. Something about his physically superior charm is hard to capture in words, and Yong finds himself grasping at straws while describing him. He knows there is absolutely no way to do the drama major any justice at all. "Uh. He has dimples _and_  he’s tall. I’m not gonna say he’s my type, but he’s totally my type.”

“I kind of feel like a proud parent. It’s so nice seeing you put yourself out there, Yongie,” Johnny advocates, clutching his interlaced hands close to his chest. While his words were comical, Johnny’s smile is bright enough that Taeyong knows he is genuinely happy for him. Sometimes, he wonders how he was able to surround himself with such a good friend group.

Yuta choruses in agreement. “Even though you’re paying him to keep you company, nevertheless, you’re putting yourself out there. And by the way, I too am very proud of you.”

Taeyong thanks Johnny and Yuta mindlessly, his train of thought momentarily riding off track as his phone begins to vibrate. Having an inkling as to who it is, he reaches deep into his pocket to retrieve his phone and answer the call. “Hello?”

“Hi Yong, it’s me,” greets the caller. After a pause, they must realize how vague the opening statement was, because they waste no time in clarifying themselves. “it’s Jaehyun! It’s Jaehyun, Jung Jaehyun. Hello.”

Taeyong has to resist to urge to giggle. He does, to a certain extent, releasing a light laugh before replying. “Jaehyun we’ve been texting for a week, don’t you think I have your number saved?”

There is rustling on the other end and the distinct jingle of car keys. A faint ignition sound can be heard in the background before the call seemingly gets put on speaker. “Yeah. I didn’t think of that,” Jae too laughs in reply, stumped. “anyway, I had to pick something up off campus, so I’m on my way back now. Can you be ready in say 15 minutes?”

He gasps, realizing he was expecting Jaehyun in an hour. Him suddenly switching up the time to just about 7:00 slightly changed things. Taeyong takes a sneak peek of himself in the mirror directly across from him, watching Yuta’s expertise at work. Yuta seems just about done, simply using his fingers to comb through Yong’s hair. Johnny, additionally, was done ironing his jacket and is helping himself to Taeyong’s personal supply of gummy bears.

“Yeah, I’ll definitely be ready by then.” Taeyong concludes, no longer nervous due to knowing he would be ready within minutes of ending the call. “Just text me when you’re outside, I’ll run out.”

“Wait inside, though. It’s cold,” Jaehyun coughs, and Yong can hear the flickering of the turning signal even over the speaker. He figures he was probably busy driving. His suspicions are confirmed with Jaehyun's curt next words. “I’ll text you.” The phone beeps, signaling the abrupt ending of the call.

Yuta steps back, taking the liberty to lay the tiniest bit of hairspray over Taeyong’s now dried hair. He was styled nicely, his silver strands no longer appearing dull and lifeless with the Japanese boy's breathtaking skills. “Johnny,” Yuta announces with finesse. “the jacket!” He is handed handed the newly ironed piece of outerwear, and Yuta helps Yong slide it on.

The three of them crowd around the mirror as their fingers laid the finishing touches. Just a tiny bit of lip balm, some hairspray on a rambunctious stray hair, and a sensuous and spiced musk cologne sprayed over his body. Taeyong looks _handsome_. And, though this wasn’t anything new by any standard, with the additional help from his friends, something about his aura that night _glowed_.

Johnny whistles lowly, patting him on the back. “You look good, Yong.”

Yuta choruses his praises as well, agreeing with Johnny. “Go get em’, tiger!”

* * *

Jaehyun picks Taeyong up, as promised, at approximately 7:03—not a minute more, not a minute less.

Adding to the ‘who is Jung Jaehyun agenda’, he arrives to campus in a BMW. One that is a sleek dark grey with black leather interior, the ones Taeyong has only ever seen CEOs in dramas drive. His thoughts run wild as the two are seated in the car together, making their way to the heart of Seoul to The Gaon restaurant.

Taeyong wonders if Jaehyun a CEO?

 _No—_ he couldn’t be, he told him that he was a drama major.

Aha! Perhaps Jaehyun is related to a famous actor and or actress, which would hopefully explain as to why he is currently studying theater. With Jaehyun’s eyes utterly focused on the road, Taeyong gambles that it would be okay to sneak the tiniest peek over at the driver. Everything about Jaehyun was majestic, from the sharp cut of his jaw to the faint twinkle in his honey colored eyes, to even the way his figure was perhaps the most statuesque that Taeyong had ever seen before with his graceful stance and tall, well-proportioned body.  

“Taeyong,” Jaehyun’s voice slices through the silence that that two had spun with their bashfully awkward attitudes. For Taeyong, it was not the easiest transition from exchanging modest emails and coy text messages to being taken out a proper date—never mind the fact that Jaehyun owned one of the prettiest cars that Taeyong had ever seen in his _whole_ life, and set reservations at one of the most lucrative restaurants in all of Seoul. However, with the surprising addition of Jaehyun’s oddly reserved demeanor, perhaps he was more nervous than he was letting on. “do you have something to ask me?”

It was not an random question, if Taeyong could say so himself. He was staring, after all. The car pulls to a stop light and Jaehyun directs his gaze from the road to the constrained Lee Taeyong who sat just beside him in the passenger seat. He knows Jaehyun is expecting an answer, but Yong does not have one. “Huh? Why do you ask that?”

“Because,” Jaehyun holds out the word with a teasing tone, his tongue hovering as if ‘ _because_ ’ contained any more than two syllables entirely. The shy, taciturn Jung Jaehyun that had been inhabiting this expensive and extremely luxurious car was now gone. “you have been staring at me for the past three minutes. I was wondering if maybe you had something to say?”

_Hook, line, and sinker._

Taeyong forces away the rosiness that was dangerously threatening to bloom over the soft flesh of his cheeks. The entire time he had been assuming that Jaehyun’s attention was fixated enough on driving that he would not notice Taeyong’s interested stare. He was disastrously _wrong._ He quickly searches his mind for _any_ excuse that he could come up with to clarify just why he was so fascinated by Jaehyun’s regal looks. “How about,” He starts, a little shaky. “we wait until dinner, and I’ll tell you? It might make a _great_ ice breaker.”

Jaehyun shrugs, offering a simple _‘suit yourself_ ’, and the conversation just about ends there. Taeyong is relieved that Jaehyun did not press the topic any further. 

* * *

Taeyong could _not_ believe how this dinner date was going.  

First, they had arrived safely at The Gaon well before their reservation, as Jaehyun was an excellent driver. It was incredibly satisfying to see the extent of how punctual Jaehyun apparently was, from meticulously planning out the time he’d pick his date up to calculating the amount of time it would take him to drive to the restaurant. In a way that was not meant to be underhanded, Taeyong was pleased. It was a definite chore to find a college age boy who was so conscientious.

What really astonished Taeyong though, was the conversation he just so happened to overhear between Jaehyun and the woman at the reservation desk. Jaehyun had paid just about 100 dollars _each_ to secure their spot at the restaurant for the night. Taeyong could not believe that Jaehyun had the pocket money to wire a restaurant 100 dollars simply for a _table_. Let alone the cost of their impending meal. 

Their impending meal which came from a menu was one that was set, and apparently Jaehyun had already completed payment for both of their meals beforehand. Taeyong has never had the luxury to say that he could eat at a menu that was set in the way The Gaon was, with the immaculately polished floors and staff that seemingly spoke a multitude of languages.

Taeyong heard Jaehyun greet one waiter in English, one in Japanese, and the other in Korean, obviously. What gives! Just how many languages did he speak?

And even before the two were seated, he felt a flood of embarrassment at the mere fact that this dinner was already a costly one. When a gentle appearing waiter lead them to their table, Taeyong sat apprehensively.

There was no ordering because there was _no menu,_  so instead they were asked what they would like to drink. The waiter suggests a 94’ Merlot to pair with their meal and Jaehyun is quick to agree—until he remembers this is a first date and spares a glance at Taeyong.

“Do you drink?”

With two pairs of eyes on him, Taeyong is not sure what response would make him sound _less_ lame. He weighs his options thoroughly: he could state the obvious that he did not mind drinking—but in all honesty, Taeyong was an extreme lightweight—or he could gloss over his inability to drink more than four sips of any alcoholic beverage, including the ones with the tiny umbrellas, and say he likes to drink. But is it ever good to say one _enjoys_ drinking?

“Of course!” The nervous laughter that follows his _too_ simple reply should really  give away the fact that he was lying. Jaehyun must not have noticed, or may not be fanimist enough with Taeyong's quirks, because he turns back to the waiter with a cheerful smile to accept the 94’ Merlot. The waiter proceeds to tell them that it’s a “ _fabulous choice”_ before pouring the liquid grandly into two thin wine glasses. Taeyong wants to chuckle because the waiter didn’t give them a choice of what to drink, the wine was offered but _greatly_ _suggested_

“So,” begins Jaehyun, as their first course is carted to the table. At first glance, it appears to be freshly chopped parsley, mushrooms, and some sort of seafood— _whelk_ , Taeyong thinks? “Let’s start again. Tell me all about yourself, Yong. As if this was a real first date and I was someone you were legitimately super interested in.”

“Well, what’d you like to know, Jaehyun?”

Jaehyun’s stare directed at Taeyong holds an amusement that may not have been clarified anywhere else on his face. With the lack of light in the room, caramel flecks marred in with the deep expanse of cocoa that were his eyes. He seems utterly fascinated by Taeyong’s response to his request to introduce himself, and he only replies after taking a faint swig from his Merlot. “When you’re on a date, you usually don’t ask your date what _they’d_ like to know.” His tone is airy, and if Jaehyun was slightly more pretentious the words might have contained enough bite to insinuate that Taeyong was dense. Even though he is not the most acquainted with Jaehyun just yet, he knows the boy did not mean it like that. Taeyong wonders if his lack of dating experience is  _that_ noticeable. Jaehyun, on the other hand, appears to be extremely familiar with the field that was first dates. “You can tell me you’re an astrophysicist and that you speak eight languages on the first date, and I’d be inclined to believe you. You know _why_?” Taeyong shakes his head no. “Because that’s the wonder of the first date. What you’d like to tell me is entirely up to you.” His next words are enticing, and even though Taeyong had not taken a sip from his liquor yet, Jaehyun’s gaze already lights a fire in his chest and casts a dizzy spell. “ _Enchant_ me, Lee Taeyong.”

Taeyong is not sure how he would be able to charm someone like Jaehyun. He is a tall, seemingly well-off and extremely handsome man. And Taeyong, despite his awkwardness at times, is only somewhat confident in his abilities and talents. What would excite Jung

Jaehyun? He finally decides to not contemplate too much over it.

“Well.. My name is Lee Taeyong,” He starts sheepishly, and Jaehyun shoots him a look that said ‘ _oh really_?’. “I was born just outside of Seoul, in Gwanak-gu. I have an older sister, who is beautiful and fiery, and she kind of hates me but we’re family, so. I’m close to my parents, but they really do push the whole ‘ _you need to date someone, I want grandkids’_ thing. Dating just never really interested me, I guess? I still can’t say it’s the most exciting idea to me, but as of late I've been thinking that maybe if I found the right person, it mightbe exciting.”

This is all frivolous information and Jaehyun seems interested, but Taeyong decides to shoot fun facts instead. “I love soup. My mom used to make all types for me in the summer even when the sun was beating down especially hard. I’d come home from dance practice, all sweaty and tired and, though it was hot, soup  _really_ hit the spot.” He tsks with his tongue, wondering what else. “I love drawing? Uh—I was once obsessed with Pokemon Go! Oh, oh, cherry blossoms are my favorite flower. My best friend, Yuta, is from Osaka and he is so fond of them that last year him, my other best friend Johnny, and I all went to go watch them bloom. After seeing them like that in person, there’s not way to not love them. Lastly, I’m a social work major.”

Despite all he said, Jaehyun only picks at the last sentence of Taeyong’s long introduction. “A social work major? That’s so cool,” And he can’t tell if Jaehyun is being sincere, but Taeyong genuinely does thimk it is cool. He wants to say that, but instead he purses his lips. “Why did you decide to go into that?”

“I just want to help people, that’s really it. When I was younger, I went through a lot internally. Mental health is really important, and I didn’t always have everything together. I had big dreams, but no confidence, which did not get me anywhere other than overthinking myself all the time,” He knows he probably should not be discussing this now, but Jaehyun asked and it is hard to stop. “Honestly, it wasn’t good at all, actually.. And I was always really scared to go to my parents about it, no matter how close we were. I never got the help I needed until my friends, Johnny and Yuta, decided to help me out and realize how good of a person I was. I’m better now, and very grateful. I hope to be a person to help others like I wanted to help myself before.” Even though Taeyong has told Jaehyun many other things, this felt the most personal.

“Wow..” Jaehyun gapes, in the way one does when they are not entirely sure what to say. Honestly, Taeyong does not blame him. “Taeyong, you’re amazing.”

The air between the two feels so thick, and it’s hard for Taeyong to swallow the little amount of wine that he wanted to pass his lips. He wonders if the tension is _that_ obvious, because the waiter who is only trying to do his job and deliver their second course is tip-toeing around the table. His hands are clapped together, and he is shifting awkwardly. “Next,” He clears his throat as the two staff hands alongside him place the plates down. “is parboiled octopus with cucumber chips, drizzled with a pickled seaweed dressing. Enjoy.”

As Taeyong toys with a cucumber chip, a thought floats into his mind. “Jaehyun,” The boy glances up. “tell  _me_ about yourself! What’s there to know about Jung Jaehyun?”

Jaehyun smiles as if he had been anticipating this question. He hums, tapping the curve of his jaw with his index finger. “Once upon a time, in 1997, a ridiculously adorable baby was born in Seoul on the most _romantic_ day of the year,” Jaehyun wriggles his eyebrows. “ _Valentine’s Day_. My dad is strategy manager of a major company, and my mom is a software developmental overseer. We lived abroad for about 5 years, in Connecticut, which is how I learned English. Now, I’m a humble drama major who listens to IU’s Palette album at least a few times a week, has at least two Americanos a day, and loves green tea ice cream—and meat, _all types_ of meat.”

“Palette? Modern Times is superior.” scoffs Taeyong playfully. ”And if you like meat, to make up for all this, I’ll make you all the meat you want when we’re away at my parents. They have a full kitchen that I can actually use and get my chef on in.”

“Only if you let me help,” is Jaehyun’s ultimatum. “I’ve been told I’m _amazing_ at cooking meat. Not to be a showoff, but my friends say I’m the _best_.”

Taeyong arches an eyebrow, like this was some fierce competition. When he was younger, his mother had always insisted on showing him the ropes of the kitchen. Unlike other kids his age, Taeyong enjoyed the sizzling pork strips over a hot grill and the aroma of boiling kimchi stew. To this day, he takes immense pride in the cooking skills that he inherited from years of practice. So Jung Jaehyun being better at preparing meat than Lee Taeyong? Absolutely not. “This sounds like a challenge to me, Jaehyun, because my friends say _I’m_ the best cook.”

Jaehyun shrugs nonchalantly, a grin upon his lips. “Then I guess we’ll just have to see who’s better?” He pops the last of his cucumber chips into his mouth smugly. “Don’t we?”

“Oh Jung Jaehyun, you’re _on._ ”

And for a majority of the rest of the dinner, the banter between them is comfortable. Kittenish exchanges and light sips from wine glasses under the muffled strobe light. Not too forced and breezy enough for Taeyong to almost forget that the only reason he was on this date was because Jaehyun felt indebted to him. He felt the night wind down when their last courses were removed from the table and they were asked what desserts they’d like to have. Taeyong is in the process of ordering the lotus root ice cream until Jaehyun cut in, telling the waiter they’d have one each of all four desserts. "I'll pay extra, just put it in my tab." 

“Jaehyun, one of each? _Please,_ let me at least pay you for _that_ —” His hand digs into his petticoat to retrieve his wallet.

“No, Yong,” Jaehyun’s tone is mellow yet firm, all in the same instance. He seems fixed on not allowing Taeyong to contribute not one dollar towards this meal. “I was the one who brought you here, and I was the one who suggested dinner at all. So, I’m staying true to my word, and I'm paying for all of this. Put your wallet away.”

Taeyong succumbs after that.

Taeyong's eyes flicker from Jaehyun's persisting gaze to the glass he held in his grasp. With gentle flickers of his wrist, Taeyong swirls the soft, fruity rouge wine. He is fascinated by the liquid and the way it sloshes like a full, tormented ruby sea encased by the chalice.

“Yong?”

He looks up then, eyes fluttering over Jaehyun’s face, his lovely, flushed face. The overhead light is subdued but just bright enough to cast a shimmering sheen over Jaehyun’s rosy cheeks. Similar to the illumination spreading over him, the rubescence covered the expanse of his face and even to the tip of his ears, cutely dyed red to match his cheeks. The cause is no doubt the Merlot that had vanished from his glass, however Taeyong notices that Jaehyun is still incredibly steady, and not at all slurring. He must have great alcohol tolerance, Yong concludes. Perhaps blushing is his only giveaway.

“Yeah?”

“You like that Merlot? You seem awfully interested in it.”

“I don’t drink often, actually,” Taeyong whispers, letting Jaehyun in on the secret. “this Merlot is pretty good, though. I like the color.”

Jaehyun laughs at his words. “Lee Taeyong, the man who likes the color of Merlot rather than the Merlot itself. You’re an interesting one, Yong. This little thing we have going on?” He motions to the distance between the two with his index finger. The desserts are brought just as he finishes his sentence. “it’ll be  _so_ fun.”

The succulent, creamy desserts all look absolutely appetizing. Taeyong feels himself perk up at the sight of both the lotus _and_ sweet potato ice cream and honey sticky rice being placed onto the table in portions small enough to be in a Petri dish. With the dinner being essentially over, they start to conclude their conversation with clarifications on what was just about to go down.

“So, you’ll come with me next week?” Jaehyun nods. “I’ll drive down to my house, so don’t worry, all you’ll have to do on your part is have a bag prepared and be ready for the drive. We’ll stay the week, then drive back a day or two before break is over,” explains Taeyong, spooning the delightfully rich lotus ice cream. The sweet melted perfectly into his mouth and quite genuinely tasted like the pinnacle of nirvana. “and even though you’re adamant, I’ll give you the money _afterwards_.”

“Sounds good!” Jaehyun offers Yong a thumbs up, eating the honey sticky rice he seems to be very fond of. He catches the brief moment Taeyong’s eyes glance to the dish he held in the palm of his hand. “You want? Wait _hold on_ —” Jaehyun takes a spare spoon that he hasn’t used, piling a generous amount of the rice onto it. Shocking Taeyong, Jaehyun leans over the table and places the spoon against his lips. “Here.”

Stunned, Taeyong takes what was offered. It was delicious, and he is sure to tell the other boy so, but he himself embarrassed at how easily Jaehyun was able to throw himself into the position of a boyfriend. Jaehyun did not seem like the apex of social butterfly behavior _but_ he was not as reserved as Taeyong. The next week would be very hard for Yong, for he was not good at pretending and or lying, and acting was not his forte. As he watches Jaehyun down the rest of his sticky rice, he hopes that this awfully tall and cute blushing boy could help him pull off this lie to his parents.

As if genius had struck in that exact moment as he stared at his dessert, Jaehyun looks up quickly. “Oh, and Taeyong?” The boy opposite him hums. “I have only one condition.”

Taeyong laughs, surprised there’s any opposition at all. “And what’s that?”

“Let’s not get attached.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact! The Gaon is a real restaurant in Seoul, one of the finest ones I believe!! every course mentioned here is ACTUALLLY served there hehe.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yong was literally paying him to act as his boyfriend, there were no real feelings involved—it was true, they shouldn’t get attached and Jaehyun was only stating the obvious. 
> 
> Why was Taeyong so affected by this then?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bad and very short excuse for a filler chapter but next chapter is when everything STARTS!!!! So here’s some . fluff? I guess? Not sure hehe, just to hold everyone over until I update next! Hopefully the next update will be a lengthy one!

The words seem to linger in Taeyong’s mind long after Jaehyun had said them. They float around his mind on the way back to his dorm, slowly appear from the deepest part of his conscience when Jaehyun squeezed his hand and thanked him for the night, even as he laid that night in his bed and tried to fall asleep. He even sorely repeated them in the faintest of whispers before drifting to sleep.

 _Let’s_ _not_ _get_ _attached_.

Jaehyun said the words with no malice, with absolutely no ill intention laced into his tone. That much was certain. And Taeyong knows that he should not be looking into it too much, but he couldn’t help it. Yong was literally paying him to act as his boyfriend, so obviously there should be no real feelings involved. They shouldn’t get attached, Jaehyun was only stating the obvious.

Why was Taeyong so affected by this then?

And that was the question that Yuta asks him, a day or so prior to Jaehyun and Taeyong’s set departure to the latter’s house. Yuta and Johnny were crouched in his dorm, tossing clothing items at Taeyong to tuck into his sleep away bag.

“Well, if you told him this would all be fake, why did you expect anything real?” The words are abrasive initially, but Yuta’s demeanor instantaneously softens afterwards. He stammers an apology, telling Yong that he is only curious and did not at all mean to sound rude.

“Maybe you like him!” offers Johnny with an almost dreamy smile. Such a suggestion could only be created from the mind of Johnny Seo, the boy utterly in love with the idea of love. He is the epitome of a true romantic, and Yuta often laughed at Johnny for it. Truthfully, Taeyong thought it was a charm of Johnny’s more so than anything else.

“That’s ridiculous!” Yuta chastises with a fire in his eyes, and he seems disappointed at the thought. “You literally have only met him twice.”

“But they’ve been texting for almost two weeks now. Surely, that’s enough time to know if you have at least a bit of interest in someone.” Johnny points out.

Yuta seems stumped by this, pursing his lips. He launches a rolled up t-shirt at Johnny’s head, and the taller boy whines in disbelief. Yuta folds his arms over his chest, maintaining his stance. “Still. Yong, you need more time. Especially since you haven’t seriously dated anyone.”

“Look who’s talking! Should we talk about the Sicheng situation—”

Cue the gasp. “—Johnny Seo, you would not—”

Taeyong stares at the two incredulously and watches them bicker over their past history of lovers. Johnny continues to chant Sicheng’s name irritatingly while Yuta dares to bring up Johnny’s ex-but-not ex, Ten from the dance team.

“I like how neither of you have asked me how I feel about this. About him, really.”

They both glance at Taeyong, their individual arguments momentarily forgotten. They realize that this conversation had only spurred from their mutual friend sharing his feelings. Johnny and Yuta both sputter sudden apologizes, encouraging Taeyong to air out his feelings about Jaehyun.

He inhales sharply before beginning to explain the thoughts that cautiously cross his mind. “At this point, I don’t think I like him like that.” Taeyong clarifies, proceeding to see Yuta lean over and sticking his tongue out at Johnny in the most trivial of ways. In response, Johnny lifts the shirt Yuta tossed at him up in a threatening sort of retaliation. All the while he maintains eye contact with Taeyong, nodding as he spoke so that he would not feel neglected.

“I think it stuck with me just because Jaehyun is going to be the only person who I’ve ever done anything remotely romantic with. So him telling me straight from the get-go to not get attached at all just makes me feel like maybe he thinks I will easily because I’m some inexperienced twenty-three year old.” The last few words are spat aloud with a sort of bitterness stemmed from Taeyong’s own random insinuation.

_(Deep down inside, Taeyong knew Jaehyun didn’t mean it like that, but that’s how life works sometimes—the most unexpected, minuscule things can creep up and bother a person for no particular reason. Maybe, after reconsidering the whole dilemma, Yong was feeling the slightest bit insecure about this whole hire-a-date situation.)_

“Hey, hey..”’Johnny lowers the t-shirt instantly after identifying the acrimony in Taeyong’s sentence. He slides towards Taeyong to sit directly beside him, as does Yuta. The three now sit in an odd sort of triangle, with Johnny’s fingertips gently stroking the side of Taeyong’s arm. It’s soothing enough to calm his mind. “You are not an inexperienced twenty three-year old, Yong. Don’t you ever say that, ever again. Don’t think that the fact that you haven’t been in love be a strike against you. Love does not come easy for everyone, and sometimes it takes time. Rush love and you’ll end up unhappy and miserable. But, if you just take the time to wait a little bit, the outcome can be just as sweet as you have ever hoped.”

“Yeah, like what he said!” Yuta choruses, causing all dissatisfied thoughts Taeyong had towards himself. He laughs as Yuta grins, the boy’s smile being just so infectious. “Even if you find love and it turns out to not be what you wanted for whatever reason at all, you know we’ll be there for you Yong. Inexperience is nothing when you’re the most handsome and charismatic boy in the world.” Yuta’s index finger pokes at Taeyong’s chin. “Cheer up, Yong! Don’t let some too handsome, super rich, cute dimpled guy get you down. What does he know anyway?”

Taeyong, understanding, nods and a slow smile spreads across his lips. In that instance, he wonders what he’d do without his friends. They’re his driving force, the motivators that pushed Taeyong when he’s at his lowest points. They care for his well being in every moment, and he is grateful.

* * *

Surprisingly enough, he hears from Jaehyun only minutes after Yuta and Johnny decide to retire to their own dorm. Taeyong is seated at his desk, his weary eyes following the faint stream of pale moonlight that danced into his room through the peek in the curtains. He’d be the first to admit that in many aspects, Taeyong was a little inept in all types of situations. He is a lightweight, his tolerance for spicy foods is at an all time low, and he finds himself knocking out usually way before midnight unless he had an exam to study for.

Therefore once the clock on his laptop strikes 11:33 and his friends vanish, he is just about ready to turn in for the night. He’d need the rest anyway, since he had both his last academic classes and dance practices before break tomorrow. The day following is when he and Jaehyun would make the drive to spend the week with his family. With all that in mind, sleep sounds lovely, so he intends to slip under the covers as soon as possible.

Until his phone vibrates with a text from Jaehyun. Suddenly, Taeyong is not at all thinking of a peaceful slumber.

 **[11:36 PM] from Jaehyun:** wyd? are you up?

 **[11:36 PM] from Taeyong:** are you texting the right person?

 **[11:37 PM] from Jaehyun:** umm yes taeyong, i meant to text you?  
[11:37 PM] from Jaehyun: so you’re up.

 **[11:38 PM] from Taeyong:** oh! then.. yes hi. that’s me. lee taeyong.

He has never hated his awkward texting style more than in this moment.

 **[11:38 PM] from Taeyong:** i was just about to head to bed actually!! did you need something?

 **[11:39 PM] from Jaehyun:** oh :/ i was gonna ask if you wanted to get a late night snack or something? take a walk to the convenience store on campus or smth idk  
**[11:39 PM] from Jaehyun:** but if you’re TIRED……..

 **[11:40 PM] from Taeyong:** ……….maybe i could... you know….. not sleep for a little bit longer….  
**[11:40 PM] from Taeyong:** it’s pretty late and dark for the convenience store though? isn’t it all the way on the other side of campus?

 **[11** : **41** **PM]** **from** **Jaehyun** : yeah but  
**[11:41** **PM]** **from** **Jaehyun:** YOUR BOYFRIEND will protect you.  
**[11:41 PM] from Jaehyun:** (that’s me)

Taeyong stares at the screen, slightly taken aback by the text. He shouldn’t be, though, it isn’t that big of a deal. However, the word boyfriend makes his cheeks flush a bright red. A spontaneous feeling of hot excitement rushes through his veins, and he is so dumbfounded that he forgets to reply to Jaehyun. His reverie is only broken once his phone vibrates again.

 **[11:45 PM] from Jaehyun:** hellllooo? earth to yong? i’m outside your dorm, come out!

He hums in acknowledgement, not replying but rather sliding his phone into the pockets of his sweatpants. As he dashes to throw on a jacket, he realizes the extent of his near midnight messiness, with hair imperfectly mussed and his face entirely bare. He figures that his appearance shouldn’t matter too much to Jaehyun, since technically this is off hours on their fake dating project. Still, he opts for the nearest oversized hoodie to cover his face and zooms down the stairs to the dorm entrance.

Lo and behold, there stands Jung Jaehyun, absorbed with whatever he is looking at on his phone. Even from afar Taeyong can see how handsome he is with his baggy sweats and an entirely fitted black tee. The outfit is a little hypocritical and a little ridiculous, if you ask Taeyong, because it is totally not fair to be able to look like that on any given moment at any point of the day. Especially not so late at night!

It’s almost like Jaehyun can feel Taeyong approach, because he glances up from his phone once he hears the shuffled footsteps.

“There you are! I was wondering if you fell asleep on me or something,” Jaehyun’s giving him that dimple filled smile, and it admittedly does a number on Taeyong. “I’ll make sure to get you back before 12:30, promise. I know you said you wanted to rest, I just want to talk a little.”

They begin to walk side by side out the door and into the crisp December air. Under the peach light casted from the overhead streetlamps, Jaehyun looks ethereal in a way that Taeyong simply cannot explain. He swallows hard, turning away.

“What did you want to talk about?”

“Well,” Jaehyun starts, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “nothing in particular. It’s just that we leave for your family’s house in a few days, and all.. ”

“Okay?” Taeyong giggles at how cute Jaehyun skirting with his words was. “And?”

Jaehyun ponders for a minute, biting his lip as he struggles to conjure up an example. “Like.. I just want to get know you more? You’re not paying me to make a bad impression, I just want to talk to you until I’m confident enough that I can pull this off perfectly. Also,” Jaehyun’s right hand shifts out from his pocket, and swings by his side indecisively. “I thought maybe we should practice PDA. I don’t want it to be super unnatural.”

PDA?

Taeyong’s eyes flicker from Jaehyun’s hand back to the taller boy’s doe eyed gaze. At Taeyong’s obvious hesitance, Jaehyun’s cheeks begin to flush akin to the color of the most succulent strawberry. Additionally, he shifts awkwardly, beginning to sneak his hand back into his pocket. But that isn’t what Taeyong wants; he doesn’t want uncomfortable movements and tense moments whenever eyes aren’t on them. And most of all, he does not want for Jaehyun to feel uneasy at all during this experience.

So he gathers every bit of courage that he knew was somewhere in his body, buried just under all of his internal unsteadiness. His hand grasps onto Jaehyun’s fleeting one, slipping his slender fingers into the boy’s palm. Jaehyun is taken aback by this, however instead of recoiling, he holds onto Taeyong’s hand just the slightest bit tighter. The two exchange soft, shy smiles.

“Your hand is warm.” Jaehyun remarks, as he adjusts his own hand against Yong’s. After, he slowly begins to move their hands in a gradual motion—up, down, up, down. Intertwined in the most lithe way under the pale moonlight, the swinging of their hands duly reminded Taeyong of a pendulum.

“So is yours, Jaehyun.” says Taeyong. “It’s a human thing, you know? To have regulated body heat and all.”

“Can’t believe you’re with your boyfriend and you’re discussing anatomy.” Jaehyun tsks teasingly, squeezing Taeyong’s hands to emphasize his point. There he goes again, Taeyong’s mind chimes, calling himself boyfriend and making my heart beat a little bit faster. “Talk to me about anything else. Tell me about your day, what’d you do?”

“Well.. I had 11:30 lecture with Johnny and Yuta,” It has been weeks since they begun this charade, so Jaehyun was on a first name basis phase with Taeyong’s friends. “But our professor ended up not showing up, so we got lunch at a diner off campus. Then they came over to help me pack, but they left about an hour or so ago. I was about to go to sleep when you called.”

“Ah, sorry for interrupting your eminent slumber,” Jaehyun pokes, his tone playful. “You’re so lucky you got to have no class today, I was stuck in a four hour lecture. My professor just talked, and talked, and talked. I was so tired that it was so hard to focus on anything he was saying.”

It was in that instance that Taeyong realized that he had never asked Jaehyun much about his major. Sure, he’d mentioned fragments of conversations and inputs from his classes, and Taeyong knew he was a drama major, but that was the extent of his knowledge. Jaehyun had seemed so engaged in familiarizing himself with Taeyong to introduce himself—and Yong, engrossed in having someone being so interested in getting to know him, hadn’t questioned it much. A sudden onslaught of guilt waves over Taeyong for not asking Jaehyun more about himself. Jaehyun, with his lithe body and perfectly sculptured face, could practically recite Taeyong’s life story; whereas all Taeyong could reiterate to others was how incredibly handsome Jaehyun was. It may not have directly translated that way outwardly, but Taeyong was appearing so vain—he hates that.

“I’m such a terrible boyfriend.” groans Taeyong, bringing his entire body to a sudden stop. Jaehyun, connected to Taeyong via their interlocked fingers, follows Yong’s lead and abruptly halts as well. Jaehyun’s lip juts out at the words, shuffling over to where Taeyong stood stationary.

Jaehyun’s free hand grasps Taeyong’s. Now in possession of both of his hands, Jaehyun’s thumbs gently drag over the face of Taeyong’s hands. “Why do you think you’re a terrible boyfriend?” Jaehyun is chuckling now, peering into Taeyong’s eyes with strong interest. “I don’t think you’re a bad boyfriend.”

“I never asked you about your family, or in depth questions about what you’re studying! That’s so inconsiderate of me—”

“—Yong, Yong, Yong,” Jaehyun releases his hold on Taeyong, their fingers unlocking for the first time since they’d been intertwined a few minutes ago. The warmth that had permeated itself between them was gone, and a marginal feeling of hollowness emanates throughout Taeyong. However, the fervor revives itself once Jaehyun situates his palms over the apples of Yong’s cheeks. His rambling is thoroughly halted. “This isn’t a real real relationship. I’m not offended that you didn’t ask me anything, since I need to know more about you than vice versa. You can make up anything about me to your family, and they’d probably believe it. I can’t say the same.”

Taeyong wants to plead to Jaehyun that he felt bad regardless, but with his face being squished between Jaehyun’s warm hands, his attempts were futile. The admiration in Jaehyun’s eyes twinkles like the night’s most brilliant star, and after a few seconds of fond staring, his hands drop neatly to his side. “You’re cute, Yong,” smiles Jaehyun, quickly turning away after nudging Taeyong to recoup and walk alongside him once again. “If it’ll placate you to know more about me, then I’ll tell you anything you want to know. Take your shot, Lee Taeyong—what do you wanna know?”

Taeyong’s mind wanders endlessly, inquiries popping into his mind at Jaehyun’s encouragement. Genuinely, there was so much that he wanted to know about Jaehyun, but he was not quite sure where to start. So, he voices the first thought that emboldens itself in his subconscious.

“How do you know so many languages?” Taeyong somewhat blurts out, the words fumbling past his lips awkwardly. He recoils at how odd he sounded, taking an extra second or two to rephrase and specify what exactly he was asking. “When we went to the restaurant, you spoke bits and pieces of different languages. Korean, obviously, to the waiters: Japanese, to one or two of the staff: and English? Yeah. Do you speak any other languages I should know about?”

Jaehyun offers Taeyong this breezy, easygoing type of smile. “Well, the Korean I know is from—well, being Korean? The Japanese is what I retained from classes throughout school, I still study it, but I wouldn’t say I’m fluent. I can carry a good conversation though. And I lived overseas in the U.S. for a few years when I was young, so I’m fluent in my English as well,” He taps his chin. “That’s all I know, really. I know some phrases in Chinese and Thai from my friends, but that’s just child’s play knowledge. I’ll learn more languages at some point, or at least I’d hope so.”

They stay on that topic for awhile. Taeyong speaks Japanese as well, enough to where Yuta constantly praises him for sounding close to a native speaker. It’s somewhat of a bonding moment, finding something the two had in common.

“Why are you studying acting? How do your parents feel?”

Taeyong had asked the question with an intrigued smile, vaguely under the expectation of receiving a generic college student answer. When questioning a student regarding their major, there are those extremely excited at what they’ve chosen to study, those nervous or upset at the thought of chaining themselves to a subject, and others who are impartial. With a major like drama, Taeyong half-expected for Jaehyun to blurt into some monologue Surprisingly, what he gets instead is an answer that evolves into much more than he anticipated. He notices the shift in Jaehyun’s posture, the way he blatantly stiffens and his eyes avert to the star littered sky distressingly. Taeyong immediately regrets asking.

“Let’s just say,” Jaehyun begins, his nimble fingers carding through his fluffy strands. A nervous trait, perhaps? Taeyong observes how Jae’s hair is manually lifted, but eventually bounces back in place gracefully. “They’re not happy at the thought that their son is a drama major. They wanted me to study to be some surgeon, or a big shot businessman. Something stable. Not.. acting. I can’t say I blame them.”

Taeyong frowns.

“Let me rephrase then,” Taeyong offers, his voice containing a softness that flowed from him seeing Jaehyun in such low spirits. “You love acting, don’t you?” He watches Jaehyun meekly nod his head at the question. Taeyong smiles. “Tell me why you love it.”

With this, a vigor seems to be enlightened within Jaehyun. His eyes happily blaze with illumination, and he energetically tugs on Taeyong’s hand to pull them to, conveniently, the nearest bench. “I was Romeo in my freshman fall production of Romeo and Juliet. I hadn’t ever really acted before, but I tried out for the role since the drama teacher really took a shine to my visuals,” He playfully gestures to himself, his dimples popping out from their hiding spots as he spoke. “I got the role, but I ended up really liking the experience, so I did the spring musical. I didn’t get the lead role that time, but it was a great experience to learn. From there, I joined the drama club while simultaneously doing basketball. Not to brag but I marked at least thirty points in every champion game and starred as the male lead in every play from my second year on.”

Jaehyun, still in possession of Taeyong’s hand, begins to fumble with his fingers. The action wasn’t much, but it lit a warm feeling all over Taeyong’s body. He regained himself quickly, but the smile on Yong’s face didn’t go away as Jaehyun continuously interlocks and releases their fingers absentmindedly as he continues to describe his high school drama days.

“And what made you pursue acting rather than pursuing basketball? You’re tall, I bet you were good at basketball. And you’re handsome, that must’ve been a plus with scoring fans.”

This seems to stump Jaehyun. He’d spoken nonstop for the past few minutes or so, excitedly detailing his days of basketball practices that would coincide with his late running drama rehearsals. He reminisced with Taeyong the final performance of his high school career, the prince in Cinderella, and how his entire team were front row, throwing bouquets as Jaehyun made his last senior bows. Now though, he seems to consider the question thoroughly.

“You know.. It all came down to what I was passionate about. I played basketball from I was young because I was always a little bit on the taller side. I don’t regret the years of practice, the way my knees would skin and bruise sometimes after I’d fall on the gymnasium floor, or the anger I’d feel when someone would purposely collide with me as I made a shot,” He’s laughing, the memories fond in his mind. “I played all my life and I loved it, but it wasn’t what made me truly happy. I was asked senior year what I couldn’t see my life without in the long run: basketball or acting? And I realized then that just because I did sports longer or had more experience with a ball than I did running lines, didn’t mean I cared for it more.” His winds down. “That was how I decided to be a drama major.”

And Taeyong is appreciative that Jaehyun opened up to him like this. No hesitance in pouring memories from his lips as his golden days replay fresh in his mind. It may not have been much, stories about bringing his prince outfit rather than his basketball uniform during an away game and how he adored standing ovations, but it meant something to Taeyong. Sometime after they actually do stop taking breaks, and eventually arrive at the infamous 24 hour convenience shop.

“When you’re all big and famous, can I get to say that I held hands with you and ate ramen once upon a time on a moonlit night?” Taeyong jokingly asks, his eyes focused more on the way his ramen cup rotates in the microwave than Jaehyun’s answer.

“You’re my boyfriend. Of course you can.” Jaehyun shrugs. Just then, his microwave begins to beep frantically, and the drama major removes the hot cup with ease. Ramen cup in hand, his large frame shuffles over to Taeyong, who was still concerned with how his own cup was functioning in the microwave.

“You know, this ramen takes an awfully long time to cook—” His microwave too begins the irritating beeping noises, and Taeyong excitedly moves towards his food. He might’ve been too eager though, the piping hot soup sloshing from the cup and onto his white pajama shirt. His ramen is steaming, and Taeyong’s finger burns in pain as he quickly sets the cup down.

Jaehyun watches, amused, as Taeyong’s lips jut out into a pout as he observes his own index finger up close. A tiny whine escapes his lips then as a tiny red blister begins to bubble under the fragile skin. “All because of hot liquid? Ridiculous.” Yong mumbles.

“Ah, baby, would kissing it better help?” Jaehyun coos, reaching for Taeyong’s hand. Too focused on the blister, he relinquishes hold of his hand and allows Jaehyun to cradle his index finger in his palm.

Taeyong narrows his eyes. He choosing to ignore the way he felt his chest squeeze at Jaehyun’s words. “Are you mocking me, Jung Jaehyun?”

“Mocking you?” Jaehyun gasps in feign offense, shaking his head. He brings Taeyong’s aching index finger to his lips, not breaking the eye contact as he presses a feather light kiss to the barely burned area. Yong’s cheeks flush redder than he could’ve ever imagined. ”Of course not. I’d never mock you.”

Taeyong snatches his hand back defensively, tucking both his arms across his chest. Jaehyun breaks into hearty laughter, and Taeyong grumbles something about Jaehyun being a handsome jerk before grabbing his ramen and heading toward the door. Jaehyun, still laughing, shouts after him before following suit, thanking the worker before exiting into the chilly night.

“Annoying, being all suave and all.” Taeyong complains through heaping mouthfuls of ramen. He turns to Jaehyun, who had caught up to him, unsurprisingly—athletes, what a show off, with his long legs and amazingly good stamina. “I’m sick of you! By the way!”

“Too bad you’re going to be stuck with me for the next few days!” Jaehyun choruses, practically giggling as he too ate his ramen.

Ridiculous. Taeyong blames his red cheeks and thinking heart over lack of experience. He never thought he’d be affected by a mere kiss on the finger, but here he was, fleeing from his boyfriend because of that alone. He simply needed to learn to regulate his heartbeat when interacting in any sort of PDA at all. The next few days couldn’t be that hard, right?

_Right?_


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taeyong thinks he’d like to press delicate kisses all over Jaehyun’s face. All this might happen if Jaehyun was his legitimate boyfriend, of course. 
> 
> But, he wasn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO EVERYONE. WE ARE LIVE! I’m back, with another chapter. It’s been a while. I know. I tweaked the title, and if you didn’t see the update on the 1st chapter notes, this is no longer a Christmas fic! I couldn’t continue on with writing this if it was Christmas themed fic, especially since it’s August. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this!!

“You’re all packed, right?”

Jaehyun offers a goofy look in Taeyong’s direction, and a grin that can only be described as cocky follows. “I’ve been packed for _days!_ ” Jaehyun strolls over to him leisurely. Taeyong keeps watch over him with a suspicious glare, tensing the slightest bit as Jaehyun’s hands reach to cup his cheeks. The warmth of Jaehyun’s smooth palms is distracting, as is the way they caress his cheeks delicately. The overwhelming response of the bare minimum action causes Taeyong’s eyes to flutter closed, as embarrassing as it is to admit. However, his eyes shoot open immediately as Jaehyun’s applies pressure and squishes Taeyong’s cheeks—similar to the way one would treat a toddler, or a particularly adorable baby. “How could I not be after you called me at 2 in the morning to make sure I had dress shirts packed? I even went through my bag to double check.” 

“They’re important pieces of clothing!” The words come out in a hurried whine, and Jaehyun gazes upon Taeyong in an unbridled fascination. With his face cradled in Jaehyun’s unbelievably supple palms—honestly, Taeyong is purely curious to what lotion he uses—he is essentially powerless, only being able to stare back at Jaehyun. “You did pack them though, right?”

Jaehyun releases a powerful, reverberating laugh. His hands drop to his side, releasing Taeyong’s face in the process, and he slants his body against the nearest wall. After filling the room with laughter, Jaehyun’s facial features soften and he nods in assurance. “Yes, Taeyong. I packed several, just for _you._ ” 

“And I am _so_ grateful.” Then, Taeyong’s phone lit up, drawing his attention to the screen—it was some unnecessary notifications from his joint group chat with Johnny and Yuta. He rolls his eyes at their silly antics, chucking his phone onto the comfortable blue duvet. However, that brings a thought to Taeyong’s mind. “Jae, it’s almost 1 AM, you should be heading back to your dorm!”

Jaehyun places one hand over his heart, feigning a look of offense. He busies his other hand with the task of grabbing his denim jacket, shrugging it on. “No nightcap, Lee Taeyong? Here I was, thinking you’d ask me to stay out of _convenience_.” It clear he was kidding, blatantly given away by the silly dimpled smile upon his lips. “Don’t worry, I’ll tuck myself in as soon as I get back to my dorm. By the way, we’re taking my car, right?” Taeyong wonders just how his family would react if he arrives—with his very real significant other—in such a _ridiculously_ expensive car. 

“Sounds good.” Taeyong swallows hard. “You don’t mind though, right?” 

And Jaehyun offers him this serene, wholehearted smile. One that could rival the tranquility of the midnight’s indigo sky. Taeyong was feeling apprehensive, and particularly restless as he ponders the upcoming festivities that he and his _beau_ would have to endure. Suddenly, Taeyong’s anxiousness dissolves under the weight of the way Jaehyun is gazing at him. “Of course I don’t mind, silly. I wouldn’t have offered otherwise! I’ll come by and get you early.. Come walk me to the door, _baby_?”

Taeyong narrows his eyes at Jaehyun then, appearing irritated at the use of the nickname—although he notices that his movements seem hypocritical, as he teeters towards the door that Jaehyun’s lithe body was leaning up against. “I hate that you call me that.” He doesn’t hate the name, rather, he despises how his heartstrings knot at the simple syllables that slip past his lips. The two have discussed it before, but Jaehyun always reverts to beckoning Taeyong here and there with it. 

“You _don’t_ hate it.” Jaehyun is grinning widely because he knows he is right. 

Taeyong does not bothering responding as he purposely bumps Jaehyun waist, causing him to instinctively shift to the right. His fingers grasp the door knob, opening it the slightest bit. When the hallway light glitters through and illuminates Taeyong’s otherwise minimally lit dorm, he gestures for Jaehyun to exit. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Jaehyun pushes past the door, shrugging his jacket lapels closer to his body as he makes his way down the winding hallway. 

“Text me when you get back to your dorm, Jaehyun!” Taeyong is absolutely certain he is within his boundaries of the fake dating relationship to request a text to assure Jaehyun’s safety. It _is_ late and all, and Jaehyun lives in the residencies on the opposite side of the campus. The trek to Jaehyun’s dorm is tedious, and in retrospect, Taeyong shouldn’t have let him stay so long. But, he genuinely _did_ enjoy Jaehyun’s lighthearted demeanor and his agreeable company. 

“Are you _worrying_ for me?” Jaehyun’s melodious laughter wavers down the corridor. “This is _quite_ a turn!” Taeyong rolls his eyes. “Like I said, I’ll text you _as soon_ as I get in, just so you don’t go mad with worry! Sleep well, Yong.”

* * *

 

 **[12:55 AM] from Jaehyun:** got back to my dorm  

 **[12:56 AM] from Jaehyun:** see you tomorrow yong :-)

* * *

Taeyong’s awakening appears in the form of a variety of knocks upon his door, a few commanding while others were faint. He rustles under the sheets that encase him in their silk hold, a soft sigh of displeasure escaping his lips. The time is 9:38 AM, _hours_ earlier than what he and Jaehyun had agreed was the ideal time to begin their short voyage to Taeyong’s. 

“Lee Taeyong!” Yuta’s voice clamors through Taeyong’s tranquility. By Yuta loitering outside his door alone, Yong can estimate that Johnny is too outside. “I know you can hear us knocking, so get up!” Taeyong wonders if he stays perfectly still, would they leave him alone? “No, Yong, just in case you’re thinking it, we will _not_ leave if you don't answer the door. As your best friends, we are legally obligated to break down the door!” 

Taeyong can hear the two’s faint rustling breeze through the slip of the door. 

“Yuta, I don’t think we can’t break down the door, that might be considering defacing university property.” Johnny is attempting to whisper, but Taeyong can hear him regardless. He snickers childishly unders the covers.

“Defacing property?” Yuta sounds borderline bewildered by the thought, as if he assumed he’d be able to kick down Taeyong’s dorm door with no consequence in sight. There’s vague murmuring from outside, until a confident statement flies out. “Okay! Apparently we _cannot_ break down the door! But what we will do is knock on your door until you answer. Right, Johnny?” 

“Right, Yuta!” choruses Johnny, an utterly determined soldier in Yuta’s cause. The bothersome knocking commences, and Taeyong launches his pillow in the direction of the door.

“Okay, I get the point!” cries Taeyong, finding enough willpower to roll out of bed and shuffle towards the door. The knocking does not cease until Taeyong opens the door and stands face to face with the expectant duo that is comprised of Johnny and Yuta. 

“Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!” cheers Johnny, one of his hands gesturing to what he holds in the other, a drink holder with three tall cups of freshly brewed coffee. 

Suddenly, Yuta’s dangling a brown paper bag in Taeyong’s face, swinging it from side to side like a tantalizing pendulum. “Good morning! It took you _forever_  to answer the door! What is up with that?” 

Taeyong rubs his eyes sorely, yawning. “I was _sleeping.”_ He moves aside so that there is space for Johnny and Yuta can enter. 

A small _hm_ slips from Yuta’s lips at Taeyong’s answer, and he shrugs nonchalantly. “Minor misstep!” He enters Taeyong’s dorm as if it’s his own, stepping inside triumphantly with Johnny following close behind. 

Once his best friends are safely inside the confines of his dorm, he shuts the door without a moment’s hesitation. While they settle, Taeyong straggles back to sit on the muddled mess that was currently his bed. He gathers the covers with the balls of his fists and wraps the material around himself tightly. His legs are crissed-crossed, and his covers hang over his head like a hoodie. He is _really_ sleepy, and while he enjoys the company of his friends, he wishes they’d thought to call before they stopped by so early. 

Then again, they _are_ his best friends—unexpected and impromptu visits are part of the deal, Taeyong supposes. 

“And what did I do to be so lucky to deserve such an early stop-by?” asks Taeyong, carefully watching Yuta spill the contents of his brown bag onto the makeshift coffee table. Taeyong reconsiders his chagrin for the early rising once the delectable smell of egg toast wafted to him from across the room. He eyes the breakfast with a hunger filled gaze, and both Yuta and Johnny laugh. 

“Well, you’re going away for break, and since Yuta and I are staying we decided to come see you before you left!” Johnny explains the situation. Even though Taeyong knows the situation very well, the tiniest piece of his heart breaks whenever he’s reminded that neither of his best friends were able to make the trip back home for break. With Johnny’s family residing in Chicago and Yuta’s in Japan, it is always a difficult feat to return to see them under any circumstances. 

Usually, Yuta and Johnny would come with him back home, but considering this visit is solely focused on introducing Jaehyun to his family, it’d been a joint decision for his best friends to not tag along this year. When the consensus had been determined it’d been simultaneously too late to book flights to Japan or the States, so Yuta and Johnny decided to stick the break out together back at the dorms. 

Under the thick blankets, Taeyong can feel his cheeks warm from the immense love on behalf of his friends. “I’m the one leaving you guys alone and you still still come to see me?” 

Yuta proudly points to the breakfast he is laying out. “And we brought toast!” 

“.. _And_ you brought toast.” Taeyong agrees. 

“We’re more than happy to, Yong. Don’t worry, anything to make our handsome boy smile,” Yuta’s words make Taeyong giggle, and he pats a special spot on the floor beside him. “Speaking of things that make Yong smile, how are things going with loverboy?” 

“Oh, everything’s fine! You know, he’s princely as ever.” Yuta and Johnny share a glance when noticing that Taeyong doesn’t bother to deny that Jaehyun makes him smile. “He came over last night and we just kinda chilled the entire time, and he left really late. He’s picking me up a little later to drive over to my parents.” 

“In his super expensive BMW? No way, you have a sexy boyfriend with a badass car, you’re going to look like the coolest son ever.” With a chuckle, Johnny removes the lid and moves to sip his coffee. As if something comes to mind, he places the cup down. “I forget, tell us how he has all this money again?” 

“His dad is a strategy manager of some major company and his mom is a software developer.” Taeyong explains. “Basically both his parents are big shots in their fields, which is why they were they upset when Jaehyun didn’t decide to go into business or computer science, or some major along those lines.” 

“Drama is a hard major but I don’t think it's okay at all to turn your son away because of it. That’s too much, I think.” Yuta frowns at the thought. “How’s Jaehyun dealing with it?” 

“Fine? He gets upset every now and then that there’s not this frequent contact with his parents, but he’s also really really confident in his skills. It’s an odd balance, but I think he’s doing okay. Hopefully his parents come around soon, I’m sure he’d feel even better then.” 

“Look at you,” There’s a slight teasing tone in Johnny’s voice, and he’s grinning this unbelievably wide grin at Taeyong. “sounding like a real boyfriend and _everything._ If I didn’t know any better, I’d think this was a real relationship.” 

“Yeah, me too.” Taeyong snorts, taking a rather large bite of his toast. “I even forget sometimes and it’s only been a few weeks. Jaehyun just really makes it seem like we’re dating. He is so carefree and funny. He’s like, everything I’d actually want in a boyfriend, and maybe more.” 

Yuta carefully listens to Taeyong’s words as he chews on his own breakfast. Once Taeyong’s done speaking, Yuta begins to. “Well, you guys _are_ going on dates and he’s staying over here late.. So, I can’t say I blame you for thinking that way. Honestly, you sound like _really_ good friends.” 

Taeyong has the humor in him to laugh at Yuta’s comment, pushing his best friend slightly in response. Yuta hollers then as the coffee on his cup swishes dangerously towards the rim, almost enough to spill messily onto his track pants. Johnny watches the scene from beside the two, laughing even harder than Taeyong is. After his laughter dies down Johnny reaches over to the pile of napkins, grabbing a bunch. His hands fist the pieces of delicate paper, and dabs at where the slightest bit of coffee had sloshed onto Yuta’s shirt. Now, it’s Taeyong’s turn to stare and strike back. 

“Yuta, you can't talk about really good friends! Neither can you, Johnny. If I didn’t know any better,” Taeyong chooses his next words cautiously. “I’d think you two were dating. You seem awfully close lately.” 

The context for Taeyong’s careful prod is that he’s seen Yuta and Johnny together a lot more as of late. Given, they’re usually together being roommates, but there was something _different_ about their interactions that Taeyong couldn’t put his finger on. He’d dismissed it as the two knowing each other for years and having a different, more contextual bond over being foreign students that strengthened everyday. Until recently, when a certain very sleepy American giant mumbled something to Taeyong about how the pillow his head had been laid on was soft—like Yuta’s _lips_. 

Clearly, Taeyong knows Johnny doesn't just go around kissing people unless there was some sort of feelings behind it. Especially not Yuta, not their best friend. Neither of them were like that, Taeyong is sure of it. 

Yuta’s smile drops from his face in a comically quick fashion, and his eyes dart in Johnny’s direction suspiciously. He shrugs, just as nonchalantly as he had earlier. “Dating? Johnny and I? Of course not! We really are just.. really good friends. Yeah.” 

“Yeah, absolutely not! I’d _never_ date Yuta.” Johnny sips his coffee as soon as the words leave him, as if he needed to cover his mouth before he said anything else more destructive. Yuta’s offers a flaring glare, and Johnny frowns in apology, light drips of caramel coffee dribbling down his chin. “Sure, he might just be really handsome with arguably the best smile ever, but I wouldn’t date him. I can’t, _actually_ , because I’m allergic to really handsome Japanese men. Specifically named.. Nakamoto Yuta.” 

“Hey, hey. Johnny?” Yuta hisses, rubbing his temples at his best friend’s entirely inconsistent rambling. “Please _shut up_!”

Taeyong is just about ready to launch head first into a lengthy interrogation, needing to know all about this questionable relationship that’d recently begun. However, a knock at the door interrupts any of Taeyong’s plans, and he pouts in disappointment. He places his breakfast down, wagging a finger in Johnny and Yuta’s direction before moving towards the door. “This isn't over!” Taeyong proclaims. “It’s probably just one of the students in the dorm next door, or an RA or something. We’re being too loud for it being so early in the morning.” 

It isn’t an RA, nor is it any of the students from the dorm.

It’s Jung Jaehyun, with a smile on his face as bright as the sun that floods through Taeyong’s curtains. He’s also holding what seems like breakfast?

“Good morning! I know we’re not supposed to meet for a few hours, but I got up and early and decided to come see you..” Jaehyun hears the light scuffling in the back, and pauses whatever he was intending on saying. He might be Taeyong’s boyfriend, but Jaehyun seems to not think he has any rights to push past him to look inside the room. Instead, he chuckles, albeit it nervously. “Do you, uh.. have company? I didn’t think you’d have anyone over so early..”

Taeyong opens the door the slightest bit wider for Jaehyun to pass through. The answer to his question is evident as soon as his sneakers hit the carpet of the dorm. On Taeyong’s bed is a gigantic mountain of sheets, and shy giggles escaping from beneath the thick covers. “There’s no company!” says a voice after a few seconds of absolute silence. “Loverboy, you can continue talking!”

Jaehyun glances at Taeyong in realization after taking a quick glance around the room. From the mass of sheets to the coffee cups and remnants of breakfast littered across the table, it does not take a while for Jaehyun to put the pieces together. “Always nice to see you, Yuta, Johnny!” 

Yuta and Johnny’s heads pop out and expose themselves to the pair, goofy smiles on both of their faces. “Morning, Jaehyun!” Johnny is the one to wave first. 

“Pretend we’re not here!” exclaims Yuta, attempting to pull the covers back down. He only puts his movements on halt when Johnny places his hand upon Yuta’s to stop him. 

“Let’s go first. _We’ll_ go first.” Johnny pushes himself off the bed, tugging an oddly pliant Yuta along with him. They gather their belongings and scramble towards the door, where Taeyong and Jaehyun were stationed.

“This is an obvious ploy to get out of the conversation we were about to have! You’re lucky my handsome boyfriend is here, but I won’t forget this!” Taeyong is laughing boisterously while pushing Johnny and Yuta out of the dorm. He makes a mental note to text them and wrangle the truth out from the bed of secrets they’ve entangled themselves in, and purposely excluded Taeyong from. 

“So, you think I’m handsome?” The grin is evident in Jaehyun’s voice and Taeyong can tell that much even with his back turned away from him. He tidies up whatever was left of Johnny and Yuta’s mess, and Jaehyun puts his own stuff down to help with whatever he can. 

Taeyong cannot believe that Jaehyun is not aware of the extent to his amazing good looks, and he finds the question silly. Therefore, he thinks he deserves to joke the slightest bit. “Here’s a tip, I’m only with you for your handsome looks. That’s the truth because it’s not you, it’s totally your dimples.” 

“Oh, _wounded,_ that hurts!” Jaehyun feigns offense at Taeyong’s joke, clutching a piece of his shirt that is over his heart. For dramatic effects, he doubles to his knees. “And here I was, thinking you liked me for my personality!”

The two appear and sound like school children, leaning into each other as the laughter spills from their lips uncontrollably. Truly, nothing either said was that funny, but the fact that they were joking together upped the humor factor. However even when the laughter subsides and their demeanors regulate, Taeyong does not move away. Rather, he stays stationary with his body leaned towards Jaehyun. His eyes peer into the other’s, somehow not overwhelmed with the shyness that would usually cause Taeyong to jolt back. 

“Seriously though. You’re handsome but not only that. You make funny jokes sometimes, and you’re so kind to me even though we’ve barely known each other for two months,” Taeyong wants to kick himself once he realizes that he’s rambling again. But it’s _Jaehyun,_ and Taeyong finds that it’s hard to stop himself when it comes to him. “Whoever you end up with is the luckiest person in the world, Jae.” 

Jaehyun’s lips part into an ‘o’, obviously shocked, as Taeyong’s words register within his mind. The confession of sorts had been serendipitous, completely and utterly unplanned but an honest expression of Taeyong’s feelings, nevertheless. The pool of caramel in Jaehyun’s eyes flood with the illumination of an army of stars, glimmering as he gazes upon Taeyong’s face. Jaehyun’s quiet, and Taeyong wonders if it is because the words had caught him off guard, that he did not care for the pleasantries, or perhaps that he was so touched that he was not sure how to reply. For Taeyong’s sake, he hopes it is the latter. 

“Yong.” Jaehyun utters his name, quietly. “Thank you, really. That means a lot.” 

If Jaehyun really was his boyfriend, Taeyong would want to kiss him right now. Taeyong thinks Jaehyun looks so pretty in this angle, the sunlight that penetrated the curtains shimmering beautifully onto the smooth expanse of his skin. A blush that Taeyong would not have noticed if he wasn’t so close is dusted across the apples of his cheeks, and the hue is so delightfully rosy that Taeyong thinks he’d like to press delicate kisses all over Jaehyun’s face. All this might happen if Jaehyun was his legitimate boyfriend, of course. 

But, he _wasn’t._  

So, Taeyong releases a very Taeyong-like chuckle and shuffled back. He is full of nerves, and chastises his conscious for even conjuring up thoughts of kissing Jaehyun. He’s sure he’s even blushing now. 

“Anytime!” Taeyong replies, and is suddenly wriggling in his seat. “You know what, maybe we should get going, beat the traffic? What do you think?”

“Taeyong, you live barely twenty minutes from the campus. I don’t think there’ll be any traffic. Plus,” Jaehyun offers him one of the two cups he’d been holding. “I really came over to bring you coffee, and to clarify some details of our story last minute.” From the backpack that’d been glued to his back, Jaehyun retrieves a notebook. He flips open to the front page. “So!”

Taeyong’s eyes widen. “Did you take _notes_?”

Jaehyun’s eyebrows stitch together and he gives Taeyong an odd look. “Of course I did! I have to be prepared, Yongie.” He balances a pen grabbed off Taeyong’s coffee table between his fingers loosely. “Tell me again, how did we meet.”

The two had spent hours upon end a week or two ago to contribute ideas for the grand explanation of their relationship. They’d figured they’d have met a few months ago, crossing paths as the two are both apart of the arts program at the university—Taeyong as captain of the dance team, and Jaehyun as the reigning lead of the school’s spring musicals. They’d hit it off spectacularly then, and have been dating ever since. Having the story memorized like the back of his hand, he recounts all this back to Jaehyun, who hums in agreement every time Taeyong successfully offers him a new slice of information.

“And how long have we been together?” 

“Four months.” Taeyong does not skip a beat. “It’s recent enough for my family to not question why I didn’t tell them as soon as we linked up. And I suppose it’s a decent amount of time to be together before meeting the parents.” 

Sure, he’d had to look up articles about “ _when it’s right to introduce your partner to your parents_ ”, and while most experts advised six months to a year that wasn’t plausible for him. 

Considering that he speaks to his family on a daily basis, dating someone for half a year and not mentioning at all would sound incredibly suspicious coming from Taeyong. 

“You know, my last partner and I were together for months and I never met her parents? Sure, they lived in Canada or something, but they always came down to Korea for big holidays and birthdays. Almost two years and I never _once_ met them.” Jaehyun sips his coffee, and Taeyong’s baffled at how he speaks so casually of this ex. “Then again, we aren’t together now, so maybe it’s a good thing that I didn’t meet them. Must’ve had _amazing_ foresight.” 

Another thing Taeyong learned from the nights he’d spent binging cringe-worthy articles from Cosmopolitan and Elite Daily, among other sites: if somebody is serious about the person they’re dating, they’d _never_ bring up the ex.

“Why’d you break up?” Taeyong’s _curious._

Jaehyun appears puzzled, as if he did not expect for Taeyong to ask the question so he does not have an answer prepared to placate him. However, he is an actor and is soon light on his feet with an explanation. 

“We were just going in different directions, I guess. I wanted to pursue my acting major, but they wanted to go into music therapy. They always supported me but wanted to know they’d be with someone whose future would be stable.” Jaehyun pats away invisible bits of lint from his jeans. “I respect their decision, because I totally get it. We’d known each other for a really long time, so it would’ve been silly for me to be angry with them. That’s not my nature, anyway.” 

“I’m sorry..?” Taeyong says with question mark hanging over the edge of the sentence, only because he isn’t sure _what_ to say. 

“Don’t be. They’re fine, I’m fine.” Jaehyun grins, and Taeyong can tell he is going to say something cheesy. He braces himself. “Actually I’m _so_ fine, because my current boyfriend is a super hot social work major with an amazing heart. So who’s really winning?” 

“You are?” 

Jaehyun reaches over to grip his hand, squeezing hard. “That’s right, baby!” he coos, sliding his thumb over the expanse of Taeyong’s hand. _“I am.”_

* * *

“You seriously live really close to the school. You can probably walk home for lunch, or something.” 

Jaehyun voices his thoughts as he rounds the bend that leads to the two’s destination. Technically Jaehyun is right, Taeyong probably could make his grand homecoming whenever he’d like. He refrains from doing so though, feeling that he deserves a certain amount of independence, being almost twenty-five and all. So, he only comes home on breaks and makes sporadic visits aside from that.

But, nerves permit Taeyong from not going too much in length into that. Instead, he releases a halfhearted chuckle and simply agrees with Jaehyun. 

He assumes the conversation, for now, is over, until Jaehyun smoothly pulls over and conveniently parks the car in front of Taeyong’s own house. Then, he focuses his attention on Taeyong fully, Jaehyun’s eyes scrutinizing him mercilessly. Being under his intense gaze makes Taeyong even more nervous than he previously was, and he shudders in his seat. 

Until Jaehyun slaps his thigh in grand realization, causing Taeyong to sit up straight. “You’re nervous! Tell me why you’re nervous!”

“You’re the first person I’ve _ever_ brought home. I’m not sure how my family will take me dating anyone, just because I haven’t before. I just want this to work.”

“And it _will,_ I promise you. I won’t leave this house until your family is convinced that we’re two college boys that are crazy in love!” Jaehyun’s effortlessly confident in his and Taeyong’s skills, which is more than enough assurance for the both of them. Jaehyun must have some secretive fixation with Taeyong’s hands, because he leans over the console to grip and gather them in his. It’s chaste and so romantic it makes him shiver, but Jaehyun’s lips lightly plant a kiss or two on Taeyong’s knuckles. “Now, let’s go, hm? I’m sure your family will be excited to see you.”

Jaehyun persuades him to exit the car, with his skillful choices of words and utterly convincing smile. While Taeyong anxiously moseys over to the front door, Jaehyun busies himself with opening the trunk to sling their sleepaway bags over his—extremely wide—shoulders. Either his family was eagerly anticipating his arrival or they’d noticed an unfamiliar car pull up to the house, because the door swings open within seconds of him knocking. Suddenly, both his mother and sister are bombarding him with viciously passionate hugs. They’re telling him how much they missed him when his father appears, not _as_ enthusiastic as his wife and daughter, but excited in his own fatherly way. 

The love warms Taeyong’s stomach, and he wonders how he could have ever been nervous. 

“Yongie! We’re so happy to see you, it’s been so long.” says his mother, excitement apparent in her eyes as she stares lovingly at her son. It had been quite a while since Taeyong had come home, she is right, and he wishes he’d visited sooner. “I missed you—we all did.” 

“I missed you guys too. I’m sorry for not coming by, I was just really busy.” Taeyong admits, strumming his fingers against his dress pants. 

His sister, who is casually slanted against the front door’s frame, observes him heedfully. She glances past Taeyong before her careful eyes flicker back to him. She grins. “Busy? _Yeah_ , I bet you were.”

Taeyong could hear his boyfriend’s footsteps from behind him, and he knows that Jaehyun’s presence can be the only cause of his sister’s now entertained demeanor. He sucks in a breath, knowing that this is the moment he’d been dreading for weeks. 

First impressions are key, and while his family aren’t necessarily prejudice in any way, if Jaehyun presented himself wrong it might stick. His sister’s first boyfriend, upon initial meeting, lost his footing and landed directly in the mud. Despite him being a sweet boy who’d treated his sister nicely during the time they were together, all his family could remember of him was that unfortunate fall. Taeyong didn’t want Jaehyun to be like “ _face plant_ _Park Junseo_ ”—he wants him to be far from that!

“Hi, baby, sorry I took so long!” Jaehyun dazzles Taeyong for the hundredth time, and his family, with a million-dollar smile. After placing a kiss to Taeyong’s temple, Jaehyun places the bags down at the doorsteps to politely offer his hand in the direction of Taeyong’s mother and father. “Mr. and Mrs. Lee! It’s so good to finally meet you. Yong here speaks so highly of you, it’s nice to put faces to names,” Jaehyun’s so effortlessly kind, and does not seem off putting in the slightest. “And you must be the beautiful but headstrong sister, huh? Yong told me all about your crazy arguments.” He cracks a more silly smile. “It’s nice to meet you all, I’m Jung Jaehyun. I’m not sure if Yong mentioned that over the phone when he spoke to you recently, Mrs. Lee!” 

Amusingly enough, both his mother and father seem the most stunned, gazing up at Jaehyun with twinkles embedded in their eyes. Taeyong can’t say he blames them, since he too was the same way when he first met Jaehyun. 

To most, Taeyong is an enigma. He’d never describe himself as such, but he’d grown accustomed to the swapped whispers whenever he’d walk past, or the interest brimmed gazes that follow. People have always been interested in him, but In every sense of the word, Taeyong is a private person—meaning he shares the uttermost feelings of heart with only those who can feel secure in sharing them with. 

However, Jaehyun is different. He isn’t like Taeyong, _not really._ While private to an extent, Jaehyun careens through life with a graceful, romantic exuberance. He captivates with his bashful dimpled smiles, and the rosy blush that seems to be permanently etched upon the apples of Jaehyun’s cheeks. 

Taeyong’s beautiful, but Jaehyun is as well, in all the ways Taeyong _isn’t._  

Jaehyun’s as fresh as a morning first breeze, and Taeyong wants to revel in the feeling—and apparently, with the way his family is staring, so do they.

“Jaehyun, yes, it’s so nice to meet you.” Taeyong’s mother finally stammers out, excusing herself to the side. She beckons the two in, as Taeyong’s father helps with the manual labor, taking it upon himself to bring in their bags. “Won’t you come in? You’re a little early, but luckily for the both of you, dinner is actually already done. I hope you’re hungry, my husband and I cooked all of Taeyong’s favorites!”

“I haven’t eaten since breakfast actually, so I’m starving!” With his hands no longer occupied by handles, Jaehyun slinks his arm around Taeyong’s shoulders, pulling him close to his side. “I could really go for some soup, what do you think, Yongie?” Taeyong, particularly in agreement of the idea of soup, agrees vivaciously. 

“Do you like soup?” Taeyong’s mother sounds enthused. Jaehyun nods, and she’s suddenly beaming. “I actually made some! Knife cut noodle soup, Taeyong’s _favorite_. Come, come, let’s go have some, it’s still fresh and hot on the stove.” His mother grabs Jaehyun’s free hand, tugging him towards the kitchen. He does not relent, rather, he does the opposite, leaning in to Taeyong’s mother as they discuss things amongst themselves. 

Taeyong hangs back, watching the scene with an immensely fond gleam in his eyes. 

“You don’t visit, but you come back with a smoking hot boyfriend who drives a Mercedes? Literally, who are you?” Taeyong’s sister raps her knuckles against the side of his head, making him whine and swat her away. “Yongie, you there? I’d like to speak to the real Lee Taeyong!” 

“Are you trying to give me a concussion? I mean, seriously, your knuckles must be steel or something!” Taeyong glares at her whine he rubs his head sorely. “Also, it’s not a Mercedes, it’s a BMW.” 

Cue the eye roll. “Of course you’d know.” 

“It’s my boyfriend’s car, obviously I’d know! And I’m happy to be with him, he’s a great guy. I was nervous to bring him home.” 

She snorts. “Look at him! He’s handsome, polite, and mom already seems infatuated by him. Hey, it can’t get any better. Seriously, at least he’s not—” 

At the same time, they both chime. “face plant _Park Junseo_ ”. Laughter escapes their lips and after, his sister is clapping him on the back. “Really though, I’m glad to have you home, Yong! And I’m excited to meet Jaehyun, he must be important if you’re bringing him home. Or if you’re dating him at all, this is a big deal. He must mean a lot to you, right?”

From across the room, Taeyong subconsciously spares a look at the man of the hour. Taeyong feels a chill of surprise when he finds that Jaehyun was also staring. The realization is cinematic-like, as if he’d expect anything else with Jaehyun, and they’re both taken aback as their eyes timidly meet. Jaehyun’s bold enough to send a wink in Taeyong’s direction before he’s stolen away by one of his parents. 

“Yeah,” Taeyong releases the breath he’d been holding, a smile settling upon his lips. “he does.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you reached this far: comments, kudos, even light criticisms are accepted and ENCOURAGED! Comments and kudos increase my chapter updating speed. If you really liked it, let me know on Twitter @ncthusiasts (that would make me SUPER happy) Until next time! ｖ(⌒ｏ⌒)ｖ


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